Oil entrepreneurs have confirmed that they’ll begin lifting Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery subsequent week.
Whereas some revealed that that they had began sending vehicles to the Lagos-based multi-billion greenback plant to load merchandise from Sunday, others acknowledged that their tankers would hit the refinery any day from subsequent week.
It was additionally gathered that some sellers expect imported petrol earlier than the tip of this month.
Saturday PUNCH gathered on Friday that the vessels of some main entrepreneurs would arrive within the nation within the subsequent 10 days.
Though the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, not too long ago introduced that solely NNPC would raise PMS from the Dangote refinery in the meanwhile, oil entrepreneurs acknowledged on Friday that that they had already commenced strikes to load their vehicles with petrol from the plant.
The preliminary each day provide from the refinery is anticipated to be 25 million litres.
“We must always begin loading from the plant subsequent week and apart from that, so many entrepreneurs are planning to import PMS earlier than the tip of the month,” a significant marketer, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence on account of lack of authorisation to touch upon the matter, acknowledged.
The supply added, “This implies the deregulation of PMS costs has set in totally. No person desires to be on the whims and caprices of NNPC once more.”
On whether or not there was an settlement on the value of Dangote petrol, the seller replied, “The settlement on value has not been reached but, however what I requested our individuals was how positive are we that we’ll get the market if we usher in merchandise at about N1,100/litre?
“They now mentioned many individuals are fed up with NNPC, including that there shall be an ample marketplace for the product. So, individuals ought to gear up for a value of about N1,200/litre, even from the depots. I do know that many are going to usher in merchandise to stimulate competitors.
“In reality, for specifics, our imports ought to arrive within the nation within the subsequent 10 days all issues being equal. So, we’re doing each imports and Dangote, and that’s the identical with most main entrepreneurs. I don’t know which imports are going to come back in first, however I do know that about three or 4 main entrepreneurs expect merchandise.”
Final week, the Minister of State for Petroleum Assets (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, declared that the downstream oil sector had been totally deregulated, as the federal government was not fixing petroleum merchandise’ costs once more.
“What’s essential is that the federal government just isn’t fixing costs. This sector is deregulated. And we consider that with the supply of merchandise, the value (of petrol) will discover its stage. And that is essential for Nigeria to know.
“There’s sufficient product within the nation to have the ability to meet the calls for of Nigerians, there needs to be no panic shopping for. And we additionally consider that Nigerians must know that the federal government just isn’t fixing costs. That’s what I wish to convey to Nigerians,” Lokpobiri had mentioned.
The minister disclosed this after NNPC raised the pump costs of petrol from about N620/litre to as excessive as N855 and N897/litre relying on the world of buy.
One other seller confirmed that plans had been being perfected to start the loading of petrol from the Dangote refinery subsequent week.
The supply couldn’t affirm if NNPC would additionally begin loading PMS from Dangote refinery subsequent week.
“I don’t learn about NNPC, however I wish to affirm to you that from subsequent week, we’re going to begin loading petrol from that refinery. That is concrete,” the supply added.
When requested if NNPC would start the loading of petrol from the refinery on Sunday, the seller replied, “I don’t learn about NNPC, however I do know that we’re going to begin lifting petrol from there subsequent week.”
The Nationwide President of the Impartial Petroleum Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, confirmed that many entrepreneurs had commenced strikes to import petrol, in addition to load from the Dangote refinery.
He, nonetheless, didn’t state the value of the product being anticipated from the $20bn Lekki-based refinery, stressing that discussions had been nonetheless ongoing.
“I can’t let you know the value from Dangote and that of the touchdown value for imported merchandise for now. However for the reason that authorities is now critical about deregulating the downstream oil sector totally, we’re additionally going to start out importing PMS,” he mentioned.
The spokesperson for Dangote refinery, Tony Chiejina, had but to answer an enquiry on the matter as of when this story was filed.
This got here because the spokesperson for the NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, debunked claims that the nationwide oil firm had began loading petrol from the refinery.
When informed that some entrepreneurs claimed that NNPC had began lifting petrol from the Dangote refinery and requested to verify the event, he merely replied, “false.”
Soneye, nonetheless, didn’t reply to enquiries about the price of PMS being anticipated from the Dangote refinery and that of crude to be provided by NNPC to the biggest refinery on the continent.
There have been earlier experiences that the Dangote refinery and the NNPC had been to carry discussions on Friday as regards PMS and crude oil costs.
