Oil marketers in Nigeria are pursuing additional petrol import licenses from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The move follows the Dangote Refinery’s accusation of marketers importing substandard products.
Dangote Group, in a statement released, said:
Punch reports that members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) are serious about getting more licences, claiming that Dangote Refinery product price is high.
The report added that IPMAN and PETROAN are awaiting approvals from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the NMDPRA to proceed.
The marketers believe importing cheaper petrol could relieve Nigerians battling high fuel prices at filling stations.
Joseph Obele, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, also alleged that the Dangote Refinery is trying to dominate the market and block competitors.
He said:
Obele asserted that PETROAN’s trading wing applied for an import licence a month ago and is determined to bring in high-quality fuel at competitive prices to reduce costs for Nigerians.
Obele urged Nigerians to support efforts to dismantle monopolistic structures, saying:
However, NMDPRA has refuted any suggestion that the two associations be granted a collective import licence, stating that only individual applications are permitted under the law.
An anonymous NMDPRA official was quoted as saying:
Meanwhile, TimesNow.com.ng earlier reported that Ghana hinted that African countries would agree on a common currency to buy Dangote petrol to dampen demand for dollars.
The West African nation also expressed interest in buying petroleum products from the refinery once it operates at full capacity.
The head of the country’s oil regulator said that patronising the Nigerian refinery would cut more expensive exports from Europe.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at TimesNow.com.ng.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
