Although Dangote Refinery has started producing and distributing petrol in Nigeria, the Federal Government has said that marketers who have the necessary licence can still import the product.
This came on the heels of the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited that the petrol it got from Dangote will sell for between over N1,00 and N940 per litre.
This came as a rude shock to many Nigerians who had desired and hoped for reduction in price.
NNPC predicated the cost on the fact that it bought the fuel in dollars as it is a product of the crude Dangote too had bought in the same foreign currency.
Naira deals, it said, would begin from October.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has, however, said that importers can bring in the essential product.
Its spokesperson, George Ene-Ita, said marketers with approved import licenses were free to import PMS, but stressed that the products must be subjected to three major tests by the agency.
“The products must be subjected to our testing protocols at the ports. The products must conform to stipulated standards before we give them the authorisation to offload to their terminals.
“Also, before the smaller vessels bring it further inland to Nigeria our people will fly to the place to see the product and carryout some tests to ensure the right specification is upheld.
“Tests are also done at the products’ origins. And when the products come in, before they are released to the market, further tests would be conducted to ensure that they meet the specifications,” he stated.
Meanwhile, ‘three major oil marketers are expecting vessels of imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, this week barring any unforeseen circumstance, it was gathered on Tuesday.
According to ‘The Punch’, dealers said about 141 million litres of PMS was being conveyed to Nigeria by the vessels following the full deregulation of the downstream oil sector by the Federal Government.
They also noted that the recent hike in the pump prices of petrol produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Monday had allowed room for PMS imports.
This came as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority declared that all imported PMS would be subjected to at least three major tests by the agency before being allowed for sale across the country.
On Monday, NNPC announced that it would sell the petrol lifted from the Dangote refinery at a price above N1,000/litre in the far north.
Its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed in a statement titled, ‘NNPC Ltd Releases Estimated Pump Prices of PMS from Dangote Refinery Based on September 2024 Pricing’.
Soneye explained that the price may go for as high as N1,019/litre in Borno State and N999.22 in Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, and others.
SOURCE: phenomenal.com.ng