The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has called on the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to guarantee wider access and affordability of fuel supply across the country, stressing that transparent distribution is key to ending fuel queues.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, the association’s spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, clarified that there was no rift with Dangote but said marketers were only demanding fairness in supply and pricing.
“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.
While acknowledging Dangote as the dominant supplier, he questioned the model of limiting supply to a few select partners.
“The question is: at what price does he offer us, and do we actually have access to purchase these products from him?” Ohia asked.
He highlighted DAPPMAN’s extensive distribution network, with depots in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar, urging Dangote to leverage these facilities to meet nationwide 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.
Dismissing suggestions that marketers were lobbying for subsidies, Ohia maintained that their position was strictly commercial.
“We are businessmen; he is a businessman. We’re not asking for subsidies. We went into negotiations and are still negotiating to see how he can bridge the gap,” he explained.
He further argued that globally, refineries depend on bulk supply to off-takers in addition to retail sales, noting that Nigeria should not be an exception.
“Ideally, refineries emphasise bulk evacuation through off-takers who can lift massive quantities and allow continuous production. Relying only on retail gantry sales cannot meet national demand,” he said.