‘All We Ask For Is Partnership With Dangote’, DAPPMAN Clarifies

The Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has called connected the Dangote Refinery to follow an open-door proviso argumentation and springiness marketers just entree to petroleum products astatine competitory prices.

Speaking connected Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’ connected Wednesday, DAPPMAN spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, dismissed claims of struggle with the Refinery, stressing that the relation lone sought collaboration that volition warrant dependable substance proviso crossed the country.

“Our cardinal involvement is to person petroleum products offered astatine tenable prices consistently, successful a mode that there’s nary stock-out and Nigerians nary longer queue for fuel,” Ohia said.

While welcoming Dangote Refinery’s emergence arsenic the ascendant supplier, helium raised concerns implicit accessibility and pricing.

“The question is: astatine what terms does helium connection us, and bash we really person entree to acquisition these products from him?” helium asked.

Ohia explained that DAPPMAN members have, for much than 2 decades, built a nationwide organisation web with depots strategically located successful Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Lagos. He urged Dangote to leverage these facilities to guarantee Nigerians payment from unchangeable substance supply.

“What we are asking Dangote to bash is to usage these depots that are already successful beingness for america to conscionable the demands of Nigerians,” helium said.

Dismissing insinuations that marketers were demanding subsidies, the DAPPMAN spokesperson insisted that the substance was purely commercial.

“We are businessmen; helium is simply a businessman. We’re not asking for subsidies. We went into negotiations and are inactive negotiating to spot however helium tin span the gap,” Ohia added.

He further argued that astir planetary refineries run connected 2 models, bulk wholesale lifting by vessels and ex-gantry retail sales, informing that retail gantry income unsocial cannot conscionable nationalist demand.

“Ideally, refineries emphasise bulk evacuation done off-takers who tin assistance monolithic quantities and let continuous production. Relying lone connected retail gantry income cannot conscionable nationalist demand,” helium cautioned.

According to him, portion DAPPMAN had approached the refinery earlier accumulation began to question bulk proviso arrangements, Dangote preferred moving with a fewer selected partners, leaving astir marketers with constricted access.

“Instead, helium prefers to enactment with a fewer selected partners, which includes 1 oregon 2 of our members. We judge an unfastened system, not a controlled one, volition assistance the country,” Ohia said.

He added that galore DAPPMAN members tally retail networks of up to 300 stations each, which could service Nigerians nationwide if bulk proviso was guaranteed.

“Figures don’t lie; immoderate is supplied present doesn’t conscionable afloat marketplace needs. Bulk deliveries to depots are indispensable if we indispensable service Nigerians effectively,” helium stressed.

The clarification comes amid increasing contention implicit petroleum merchandise distribution, particularly pursuing Dangote’s acquisition of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks for nationwide supply. Marketers person argued that the determination pointed to monopolistic tendencies successful the downstream sector.

LEADERSHIP reports that the rift drew further attraction connected Tuesday aft billionaire businessman and Aliko Dangote’s ally, Femi Otedola, urged DAPPMAN to restructure and accommodate to changing realities successful the lipid and state market. Speaking earlier connected the aforesaid TV programme, Otedola advised marketers to see acquiring the Port Harcourt Refinery alternatively of “resisting progress.”

Also weighing in, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gilly-Harris, argued that Dangote’s 4,000 trucks unsocial were insufficient to warrant unchangeable supply nationwide.