As Nigerians eagerly await the release of Premium Motor Spirit, popular known as petrol, from the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says it will lift the product from the plant on September 15 but outlined factors that would determine its price.It said foreign exchange rates and market forces would influence the cost of petrol, stressing that the market had been deregulated.This came as oil marketers declared on Thursday that about 2,000 tankers were still awaiting to load the product at various depots of the national oil company in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.Also, the Federal Government declared that there was going to be a massive supply of petrol at the weekend as vessels had started offloading, but ruled out PMS price fixing.
Operators stated that the government might have put an end to petrol subsidy going by its latest position on the pricing of PMS.NNPC said foreign exchange illiquidity had been a significant factor influencing the fluctuation in prices of petrol, which are governed by unrestricted free market forces, as provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act.The Executive Vice President of Downstream, NNPC, Adedapo Segun, said on Thursday during a live television programme that the current fuel scarcity was expected to “subside in a few days as more stations recalibrate and begin selling PMS.”
He said Section 205 of the PIA, which established NNPC, stipulated that petroleum prices were determined by unrestricted free market forces.“The market has been deregulated, meaning that petrol prices are now determined by market forces rather than by the government or NNPC Ltd. Additionally, the exchange rate plays a significant role in influencing these prices,” Segun added.Dangote petrolOn the commencement of lifting PMS from the Dangote refinery, Segun said NNPC was awaiting the September 15 timeline provided by the refinery, adding that the national oil firm had nearly a thousand filling stations nationwide and was collaborating with marketers to “ensure that stations open early, close late, in order to maintain adequate fuel supply to meet the needs of Nigerians.”“We are also engaging relevant authorities to ensure product diversions are prevented and timely deliveries to all stations are ensured. The scarcity should ease in the next few days as more stations recalibrate and begin operations,” he stated.2,000 tankersMeanwhile, the National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mustapha Zarma, told one of our correspondents that dealers had most of their trucks trapped at depots awaiting product from NNPC
“The queues in Abuja are heavy. Nobody is loading. Right now, most of the tickets of independent marketers, which had been paid for since the last three months, have not been cleared to load,” Zarma reported.“And with the recent increase in the price of petrol, there has not been any official statement to say that this is the additional money you are supposed to pay before you lift your order. It is only the retail arm of NNPC that is lifting products to their stations.“We have over 2,000 trucks that are at the various depots and they will not give you the product now until you pay up the difference. And up till now, they have not communicated to us what the difference is.”This came as Dangote refinery announced on Thursday that NNPC had not started lifting its petrol.In a statement, the Dangote Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, debunked a report that NNPC was selling its petrol at N897/litre.Chiejina said the attention of the group was drawn to a headline, ‘NNPC lifts Dangote petrol, sells at N897 per litre’, published by a national daily.“We would like to state that NNPC has not commenced lifting of refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from our Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Therefore, the issue of fixing the price of petrol lifted from our refinery does not arise, as we are yet to finalise our contract with NNPC,” Chiejina stated.“The PMS market is strictly regulated, which is known to all oil marketers and stakeholders in the sector, hence we cannot determine, fix, or influence the product price, which falls under the purview of relevant government authorities.“We urge the public to disregard the headline as it is misleading and does not represent the true position in this matter. We are guaranteeing Nigerians of exceptionally high-quality petroleum products that will be readily available all over the country.”30 million barrelsNNPC also said it had supplied 30 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote refinery so far, planning an additional 17 million barrels soon.Segun, who said this was part of the Federal Government’s decision to sell crude to local refineries, disclosed this Thursday while speaking on Arise Television.According to him, the company will supply 6.3 million barrels in September and 11.3 million barrels in October
“We have supplied about 30 million barrels to Dangote so far, 6.3 million this month, and we will supply 11.3 million in October,” he stated.Segun noted that the 6.3 million barrels would be delivered in seven cargoes but expressed concern that the current pump price of petrol did not reflect market realities.“The pump price today is not market reflective. NNPCL is the sole importer of PMS in the country, which is abnormal. We should be coming to a situation where the free market determines prices,” he said, stressing that market forces should drive fuel prices, rather than any single entity.He clarified that NNPC’s role as the sole importer of petrol was not a deliberate decision by the company but a response to market conditions.“Let me put it in proper perspective, NNPC is not a regulator. We didn’t put ourselves in the position of sole importer. We don’t determine who plays in the market. We decided to come in when others reduced their participation. It is not about us wanting to be monopolists,” Segun stated.He explained that achieving a stable fuel supply and price would require perfect market conditions, including a more liquid foreign exchange market.“Market conditions need to be perfect, and there needs to be FX liquidity,” he added, hinting that broader economic reforms might be needed to resolve the fuel pricing dilemma
