Marketers don begin protest say Dangote dey try run monopoly for cooking gas market as e talk say im go crash the price. President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, don yan say im get plan to reduce the price of cooking gas, wey dem dey call Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and im fit begin sell am direct to consumers if the current marketers no gree bring down the price.
But the marketers no gree. Dem say the plan na to pursue dem comot for market and make Dangote control everything. Dem vex well well on Monday, as dem say the move fit cause wahala for competition.
Dangote talk this one when some people from Lagos Business School CGEO Africa and foreign guests visit im refinery for Lekki. E talk say the price of cooking gas too cost, and common people no fit buy am, na why many still dey use firewood.
According to am, “Right now we dey do LPG like 2,000 tonnes per day. Nigeria dey slowly move to gas use, but the price still high. We go bring the price down make people fit afford am.”
Im warn say, “If the distributors no wan reduce the price, we go sell am direct to the people, make dem stop to dey cook with firewood and kerosene.”
Dem remember say Dangote don already plan to begin sell petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel direct to marketers from August, with 4,000 CNG buses wey dem don buy for the wahala.
Now, price of cooking gas dey between N1,000 to N1,300 per kg, but Dangote say e go bring am down to help poor people.
Marketers Don Para
But marketers wey dey sell LPG no happy. One of dem, Godwin Okoduwa, wey be former chairman for LPG and Natural Gas Downstream Group for Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talk say the plan no make sense.
According to Okoduwa, “This thing na monopoly. People don work from 2007 when the market be just 70,000 metric tonnes to now wey we dey do over 1 million metric tonnes in 2022. Na team work make that one happen.”
“We no go fit grow if na only one person dey control everything. Other countries dey do better. South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia all dey use more gas per person than Nigeria. Make we work together grow the market. Dangote get money, yes, but make im no use im money scatter the whole industry.”
E talk say Dangote suppose work with others, no be to run solo or push everybody out. “Yes, e invest, but make im no forget say people don suffer grow this market. Make we grow am together, no be one man show,” e add.
