The Dangote Petroleum Refinery clarified on Thursday that it has not received any payments from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for the purchase of refined petroleum products.
In a statement, Anthony Chiejina, the group chief branding and communications officer of Dangote Refinery, emphasized that the refinery is not accountable for payments IPMAN made to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as no approval has been given by NNPC to supply products to IPMAN members.
On October 29, Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), disclosed that the refinery holds over 500 million liters of petrol, but noted that oil marketers have yet to purchase the product. In response, IPMAN claimed that its members have been unable to load petrol from the Dangote refinery for days, despite having paid N40 billion to NNPC.
Chiejina stated that while discussions are ongoing, the refinery currently has no direct transactions with IPMAN. He clarified that any payments were made through NNPC, not directly to the refinery, and thus Dangote cannot be held liable for them.
The refinery reiterated its capacity to meet Nigeria’s demand for petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, boasting a daily loading capacity of 2,900 trucks, along with product distribution by sea. Chiejina advised IPMAN to register directly with the refinery for purchases and urged all parties to avoid media controversies that might hinder Nigeria’s economic stability.
On October 10, IPMAN had requested that NNPC sell PMS to its marketers at Dangote’s rate or refund their money, claiming the funds had been with NNPC for three months.
