The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN says it is engaging the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery to get a direct supply of petroleum products from the facility.
Chairman of PETROAN in Rivers State, Francis Dimkpa in an interview with DAILY POST said its interface with the multi-billion dollar refinery is to remove bottlenecks in the supply chain.
The state PETROAN chairman said buying petroleum products directly from the Dangote refinery will positively influence its price and eliminate the challenge of middlemen in the business.
“Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria is engaging the Dangote Refinery so that we will become part of the people that are expected to lift refined petroleum products from the refinery.
“We are the ones that are directly giving out these products to the masses. We are not going to pass through any bottleneck.
“If these products are given to PETROAN, PETROAN will ensure that all her members load this product directly from the Dangote refinery.
“It will reduce the price. But if you insist that there has to be a secondary buyer, before the end persons that are supposed to distribute these products to the masses, whatever cost that is incurred may be added to the cost of petroleum products.”
Dimkpa further questioned the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA for pre-qualifying only seven major marketers to lift petroleum products from Dangote refinery, undermining PETROAN, which he said has thousands of petroleum outlets in the country.
“The seven major marketers that have been prequalified by Dangote refinery, it is NMDPRA that has given them a license, it’s the same NMDPRA that has given members of PETROAN license. So, why pre-qualify only seven?
“Why don’t you prequalify a body that has over 5000 units in each state? In some states, we have over 6000, and in the whole nation, we have over thirty-something thousand filling station outlets.
“So, why are you undermining such an institution? PETROAN is supposed to be a priority institution for pre-qualification, for lifting petroleum products from Dangote refinery.” He added.
