According to Daily Trust, the Dangote Refinery has responded to claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that it sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at N898 per litre, clarifying that the product was sold in US dollars.
In a statement issued by Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote, the refinery dismissed the NNPCL’s claims as “misleading and mischievous.” Chiejina noted, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL. This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024.”
The NNPCL had earlier stated through its Chief Spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, that it purchased PMS from Dangote Refinery at N898 per litre during an initial loading of over 70 trucks. Soneye said, “We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote Refinery today. The claim that we purchased it at N760 per liter is incorrect. For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was N898 per liter.”
However, Dangote Refinery clarified that its current stock of crude was procured in dollars and urged Nigerians to await a formal announcement on pricing by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales, which will commence on October 1, 2024. The statement also highlighted that the sale in dollars resulted in savings compared to imported fuel prices.
“We assure Nigerians of availability of quality petroleum product and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country,” Dangote stated, while promising that fuel will be distributed to all local government areas, ensuring nationwide accessibility.