The Depot and Petroleum Merchandise Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has watched with dismay the unfolding tensions between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nationwide Union of Petroleum and Pure Gasoline Staff (NUPENG).
Whereas the matter could in a roundabout way concern our Affiliation, we’re alarmed by the tone, trajectory, and escalation of this challenge. Past the reputational dangers to numerous market individuals, we’re deeply involved in regards to the potential impression this may occasionally have on unusual Nigerians, significantly in a downstream setting nonetheless stabilizing post-deregulation.
As accountable and long-standing stakeholders in Nigeria’s downstream sector, we really feel compelled to supply readability on a number of inaccurate or deceptive claims made within the public house — claims which, if left unchecked, might mislead the general public and diminish the collective contributions of different gamers which have ensured nationwide gasoline availability for many years.
The assertion that Nigeria’s downstream stability rests solely on one refinery is deceptive and dismissive of the broader ecosystem. Whereas we welcome the Dangote Refinery as a serious infrastructure undertaking, its contribution has peaked at solely 30 to 35 p.c of nationwide demand. The steadiness continues to be provided by accountable petroleum product entrepreneurs, together with DAPPMAN members, who import and distribute underneath strict regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
For many years, DAPPMAN entrepreneurs have ensured uninterrupted gasoline entry throughout the nation, investing in depots, trucking fleets, retail networks, and logistics and doing so even by way of durations of foreign exchange stress, subsidy transitions, insecurity, and financial downturns. These contributions deserve recognition, not erasure.
Claims that repeated gasoline worth reductions by the Dangote Refinery are patriotic gestures ignore their timing and market impression. These reductions had been usually strategically timed when different importers had energetic cargoes at sea or in tank, creating worth shocks that undermined competitors and imposed monetary pressure on fellow market individuals, together with the refinery’s personal home prospects. Much more regarding is the refinery’s sample of providing decrease costs to worldwide consumers whereas quoting increased charges to native off takers. This contradicts public-facing claims of prioritizing Nigerians and locations pointless burden on home companies already working underneath tight margins.
We reject any insinuation that DAPPMAN members deal in “substandard” petroleum merchandise. All imports are topic to unbiased, regulator-accredited laboratory testing in accordance with NMDPRA protocols and world high quality requirements. Mockingly, the identical refinery alleging superiority has on a number of events sought waivers to distribute merchandise with sulphur ranges above authorized thresholds, a proven fact that calls into query its consistency and credibility on product high quality. Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market is extremely regulated, clear, and aligned with worldwide greatest practices. Makes an attempt to solid doubt on the integrity of different compliant gamers are unfair and inaccurate.
The declare that the refinery presents “free supply” can be deceptive. In actuality, entrepreneurs are required to elevate no less than 25 p.c of their allocations immediately from the refinery gantry and should accomplish that utilizing solely Dangote-owned vehicles, paying industrial charges based mostly on their vacation spot. This association imposes further logistical and monetary burdens on entrepreneurs, limits operational flexibility, and undermines the narrative of value aid being supplied to the native market.
The Dangote Refinery is a useful contributor, however it’s not a messiah. Nigeria’s downstream sector is just not pushed by one facility alone. It’s powered by an ecosystem of refiners, depots, entrepreneurs, transporters, and regulators, working in tandem to make sure nationwide entry to gasoline underneath usually tough circumstances. We warning in opposition to narratives that monopolize credit score, shift blame, or undermine the arrogance of buyers, companions, and the general public.
DAPPMAN reaffirms its dedication to the ideas of competitors, transparency, and collaboration in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum business. We name on all events, together with the Dangote Refinery to have interaction constructively and talk responsibly, avoiding one-sided accounts that may destabilize market confidence. The way forward for Nigeria’s vitality sector lies not in divisive narratives, however in cooperation, regulatory compliance, and mutual respect.
