The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has denied being the sole distributor for the Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals.

The NNPCL said the Dangote refinery and any other domestic refinery were free to sell directly to marketers on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which was the current practice for all fully deregulated products.

The NNPCL made this known via a statement issued by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

This was in reaction to claims that the Dangote refinery was being undermined by the NNPCL.

Soneye stated: “The attention of the NNPC Ltd has been drawn to a press release by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, which claims that the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL) is being undermined by actions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).

“Specifically, MURIC asserts that recent changes to the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will prevent the Dangote Refinery from offering lower prices and that NNPC Ltd. has become the sole offtaker of all products from the refinery.

“To set the records straight, the pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd. (DRL), is determined by global market forces. The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market.

‘Unprecedented decisions for devt’: Tinubu speaks on petrol price hike

“In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.

“Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL. The NNPC Ltd. will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria.

“The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products. NNPC Ltd. has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise.”

The NNPCL spokesman noted that the company cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion-dollar stake.

Soneye added that MURIC, as an advocacy group, should verify the facts before making statements that are flawed and have the potential to incite Nigerians against the NNPCL.

The Star