There seems to be a dark cloud hovering above the Nigerian petroleum sector.
As we speak, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) and Dangote Refinery are at loggerheads.
As the saying goes “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers”.
Already, Nigerians are beginning to feel the effects of the tussle.
The drama began after the NNPCL via its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye revealed that Dangote Refinery sold petrol for ₦898 per litre.
Soneye spoke via a statement forwarded to Daily Trust.
But guess what?
Dangote Refinery, in a statement released through Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said Soneye’s statement is misleading and mischievous.
Dangote Vs NNPCL
He revealed that the formal announcement on the pricing would be disclosed when Naira-based crude sales commences in October.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL.
“This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedeviled the economy in the past 50 years.
Petrol Price
“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars.
Also Read: #FuelScarcity: NNPCL Drops New Petrol Price Across All States In Nigeria
“It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPCL in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing.
With this action, there will be petrol in every local government area of the country regardless of their remote nature.”
“We assure Nigerians of availability of quality petroleum product and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country.”
This back-and-forth has left Nigerians in confusion.
As a matter of fact, many are suspicious that there is something fishy going on with many describing it as a ‘shady deal’.
Is it that the NNPCL is just using this as an excuse to increase the price of petrol and squeeze out money from Nigerians?
Or could it be a collaborative move by the refinery and the NNPCL to scam Nigerians?
Yes, many people are tempted to think in this direction, especially as Dangote in its speech failed to reveal how much the petrol was sold.
The coming days will be tough on Nigerians.
At this point, the only thing many Nigerians can say is “na God go help us”.
