Fuel importers don cut their petrol price go below wetin Dangote Refinery dey sell, and e don cause fresh competition for market. This one dey happen as Dangote Group oga, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, dey beg Federal Government make dem ban fuel importation.
Wetin our reporter see be say some filling stations don dey sell fuel less than ₦860 per litre. Meanwhile, Dangote partners like MRS, Heyden and others still dey sell for ₦865 or ₦875 per litre for places like Lagos and Ogun.
One filling station for Ogun State, wey dem call SGR, don reduce price reach ₦847 per litre as of Tuesday. Some marketers tell The PUNCH say many importers don cut their ex-depot price pass Dangote refinery own.
On Tuesday, Dangote refinery dey sell for ₦820 per litre, while some depots sell as low as ₦815. Petroleumprice.ng show say companies like Aiteo and Menj dey sell for ₦815 too. Importers dey try use price slash stay inside business because many of dem don dey lose money since Dangote refinery begin drop price since early this year.
IPMAN (Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) public relations officer, Chinedu Ukadike, confirm say importers really dey drop price.
“Depot owners dey drop fuel price. Some dey sell ₦815, some ₦817, while Dangote still dey sell ₦820. NNPC never reduce their own yet; dem still dey sell for ₦825,” Ukadike talk.
He say na this be the sweet side of market liberalisation. He advise say President Bola Tinubu no suppose ban fuel importation.
“This na di beauty of market liberalisation. Nobody suppose stop anybody from importing fuel. If you open market well, local refining go help balance pricing and stop unfair price wahala. As a Nigerian company, you gats refine to get better price,” Ukadike add.
On top the matter of dirty or fake fuel wey dem dey import, Ukadike say NMDPRA (Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority) dey there to monitor and stop such things.
But as things be now, importers dey challenge Dangote by cutting price sharply — something Dangote don call "unfair competition." He say this importation dey kill local refinery and discourage investment.
Dangote beg African governments make dem protect their local refineries the same way America, Canada, and EU dey do for their side.
He no hide mouth talk say di “Nigeria First” policy wey President Tinubu announce suppose include petroleum sector. He wan make government stop importation of petrol, diesel and others wey Dangote refinery dey produce locally.
He also accuse some importers say dem dey bring cheap and even toxic fuel enter Nigeria — fuel wey no go pass quality test for Europe or America. According to am, dem even dey carry subsidised crude or fuel from Russia come sell here, and e dey affect local production because e too cheap.
Because of these wahala, Dangote talk say local producers dey forced to reduce their own prices pass wetin e cost dem to produce am.
Him final tok be say if Africa wan protect their own oil business, dem must act sharp like other developed countries to stop unfair market play.
