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DAPPMAN urges Dangote Refinery to cut prices and widen supply access.
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Marketers warn restricted distribution and trucks alone cannot meet demand.
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Dangote denies subsidy claims, insists pricing is based on production costs.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has urged the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to make fuel more affordable and accessible to marketers, stressing that broader distribution would ease nationwide scarcity and end fuel queues.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, the association’s spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, dismissed claims of a rift with Dangote but insisted that marketers were simply seeking fairness.
“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 said.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that he acknowledged the refinery’s dominant position in the market but criticised the model of limiting supply to selected partners, arguing that most marketers are unable to access products.
“For over two decades, our members have invested in distribution depots across Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar. We are only asking Dangote to take advantage of these facilities to meet Nigerians’ fuel needs,” Ohia explained.
Ohia stressed that marketers are not demanding subsidies. “We are businessmen; he is a businessman. What we want is a fair commercial arrangement. We are negotiating to see how he can bridge the supply gap,” he said.
DAPPMAN also raised concerns about Dangote’s 4,000 CNG-powered trucks deployed for nationwide distribution, warning that reliance on in-house logistics could give the refinery overwhelming control of the downstream sector.
Ohia said some members who own hundreds of filling stations are unable to get adequate supply, leaving them unable to serve consumers. “Figures don’t lie; current supplies don’t meet market needs. Bulk deliveries to depots are necessary if we must serve Nigerians effectively,” he added.
On Tuesday, billionaire businessman Femi Otedola advised marketers to adapt to market realities and consider restructuring, suggesting they take over the Port Harcourt Refinery rather than opposing Dangote’s approach.
Similarly, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gilly-Harris, cautioned that Dangote’s trucks alone would not be sufficient to serve the entire nation.
