Petroleum marketers in Nigeria have accused the Dangote Refinery of operating a secret petrol pricing regime, calling for greater transparency in its pricing structure.
The president of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harris, raised these concerns during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday.
This accusation comes in the wake of the recent increase in petrol prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to N1,030 per litre in Abuja.
Gillis-Harris criticized the Dangote Refinery for not disclosing its petrol price input, despite providing information on diesel pricing.
Gillis-Harris stated, “Regarding Dangote price, as I speak to you this morning, I don’t know what Dangote price is all about and that is speaking a lot because, at this point in the Dangote campaign in Nigeria, retail outlets like us should know the price input of Dangote but they have kept that shrouded in secrecy up until now.”
He noted that while NNPCL gave a price template, it did not reveal the input of Dangote Refinery in the pricing.
He added, “NNPC gave us a price template that also did not tell us what the exact price input from Dangote.
“We will encourage Dangote to open up the space of communication, talk to stakeholders, and get valuable inputs from everyone because it’s a business that involves Nigerians, retail outlet owners like us, and different consumers, so there should be some level of business transparency, even if it’s a private business.
“We are so proud that we have such a facility operating in Nigeria but we need to start to see the works. I am unable to confirm to you if Dangote increased their prices or reduced them because we are not aware.”
According to him, Dangote Refinery is open about its diesel price but not that of petrol.
“I can tell you about their price for diesel because the diesel prices were made known to us, most of us patronise them for diesel but in the case of the PMS, I don’t have any information,” he stated.
While NNPCL provided a price template, it did not clarify the contribution of Dangote Refinery to the overall pricing, leaving marketers in the dark. Gillis-Harris urged the refinery to open up communication with stakeholders to ensure business transparency.
However, Emmanuel Kelvin, an economist, noted on Channels Television on Thursday that Dangote Refinery has not revealed its petrol price because the product has not been completely deregulated.
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