Former Chief of Army Staff and erstwhile envoy of Nigeria to the Republic of Benin, Lt. General TY Buratai Rtd (CFR) has lent his voice to the lingering issues between Dangote Refinery and petroleum marketers in Nigeria. The decorated General urged Dangote, not to succumb to the marketers blackmail.
In an exclusive chat with some journalists on his opinion over the imbroglio between the two gladiators, he raised a fundamental question as regards who is blackmailing Dangote?
According to Buratai, Dangote refinery can not operate outside the global oil system. Just because it refines locally and gets its crude in Naira is not a reason to sell it cheaper. He stated that the government must susidise because it is making a profit. However, the question of subsidy is very sensitive now. But when subsidy is reintroduced, it should be only for locally refined products. At the same time, our borders must be closed for all smugglers, especially in petroleum products.
“Our borders are porous, and high-level smuggling is witnessed in every sphere. Dangote must find markets elsewhere to be able to maintain its operations. It is good news that Ghana and other African countries are approaching Dangote to buy his products.
“If Dangote refinery sells its product cheaper, be rest assured the products will be massively smuggled. The petroleum marketers are not sincere. They want cheap Dangote products to be able to smuggle them outside our shores. In this case, both Nigerians and Dangote will be the losers.”
Continuing, Buratai believed that “Unless all our borders are properly manned and all the smuggling routes are blocked, then the government subsidy will work for our benefits”
“Dangote should not succumb to the marketers’ blackmail”, he concluded.
It would be recalled that the row between Dangote Refinery and petroleum marketers in Nigeria has taken a new dimension following the comment by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote that petroleum marketers were not approaching his refinery for purchase of petroleum products.
There has been an uneasy calm since the roll-out of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from the Dangote Refinery in September. Their were discordant tunes between the management and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other petroleum marketers.
Dangote refinery has disclosed the price of its petrol, revealing that it sells petrol at N960 per litre for ships and maintains a price of N990 per litre for trucks.
The statement follows claims from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) that they can import fuel at cheaper rates than Dangote’s.
In an earlier interview, the marketers alleged they were buying fuel more affordably from abroad and called on Dangote Refinery to collaborate with stakeholders.
In response, the refinery argued that only substandard products could be obtained at prices lower than its own.
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