The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has called on the Dangote Refinery to make fuel supply more accessible and affordable to marketers across the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, the association’s spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, said closer collaboration with the refinery would ensure steady supply and eliminate fuel queues nationwide.
“Our key interest is to have petroleum products offered at reasonable prices consistently, in a way that there’s no stock-out and Nigerians no longer queue for fuel,” Ohia stated.
He dismissed claims of a rift with the refinery, stressing that marketers only seek transparent arrangements that guarantee regular distribution. Ohia explained that while the refinery remains the dominant supplier, pricing and access remain the major issues.
“The question is: at what price does he offer us, and do we actually have access to purchase these products from him?” he asked.
Highlighting DAPPMAN’s distribution capacity, Ohia said the association’s members have developed depots in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar over the past two decades. He urged Dangote to leverage these facilities to meet national demand.
“What we are asking Dangote to do is to use these depots that are already in existence for us to meet the demands of Nigerians,” he added.
Ohia also rejected claims that marketers were seeking subsidies, clarifying that both sides were negotiating to bridge the supply gap. “We are businessmen; he is a businessman. We’re not asking for subsidies,” he said.
According to him, global practice shows refineries prioritise bulk supply to off takers alongside retail sales to sustain production and meet demand.
However, DAPPMAN claims that despite approaching the refinery for bulk supply before production commenced, no firm agreement was reached. Instead, Dangote reportedly prefers working with a few selected partners, a move marketers argue limits access and controls the downstream sector.
On Tuesday, billionaire businessman Femi Otedola advised DAPPMAN to restructure and consider taking over the Port Harcourt Refinery rather than opposing Dangote’s model. Similarly, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gilly-Harris, said Dangote’s 4,000 CNG-powered trucks were insufficient to guarantee nationwide fuel supply.
In a recent statement, Dangote Petroleum Refinery described DAPPMAN’s subsidy claim of over ₦1.5tn as “false and unfounded,” insisting that products are sold at its gantry strictly based on production costs and regulated margins. The refinery added that marketers must bear their own transportation costs as government subsidy on petroleum products had been abolished since May 2023.
