While responding to criticisms from petroleum industry stakeholders in Nigeria, the Dangote Group has defended the pricing and quality of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supplied by its refinery, asserting that its products are more competitively priced than imported alternatives.
In a press release signed by Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Group addressed claims made by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), which suggested that imported PMS could be sold at a cheaper rate than what Dangote offers.
Dangote argued that such claims are misleading, potentially involving substandard products that could harm consumers and vehicles alike.
“We benchmark our prices against international prices, and we believe our prices are competitive relative to the price of imports,” Chiejina stated, adding that any claims to undercut Dangote’s pricing would likely involve substandard imports aimed at undermining the quality of products available to Nigerians.
He further criticized the lack of adequate testing facilities by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which could allow for such substandard imports to enter the Nigerian market undetected.
Highlighting its commitment to affordable pricing, Dangote Refinery revealed that it set its PMS price lower than the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) post-deregulation benchmark.
Dangote supplies PMS at N960 per liter for ships and N990 for trucks, in comparison to NNPC’s prices of N971 and N990 respectively.
Chiejina also noted concerns over an international trading company establishing a depot near Dangote’s facilities with the intent to blend lower-quality products, aimed at creating unfair competition for Dangote’s locally refined PMS. He warned that the actions of such companies pose risks to Nigeria’s domestic refining sector, which is crucial for economic growth, job creation, and reducing reliance on imports.
“Countries around the world protect their domestic industries to sustain growth, jobs, and innovation,” Chiejina added, drawing parallels to protective tariffs seen in the U.S. and Europe on electric vehicles and microchips.
Reaffirming the group’s mission to offer Nigerians high-quality and affordable PMS, Dangote called on the public to disregard any “deliberate disinformation” being spread to undermine the refinery’s efforts. The statement underscored Dangote’s commitment to keeping Nigerian jobs in-country and protecting the economy from what the company termed as “imported poverty.”
As the debate on PMS pricing and standards continues, Dangote remains steadfast in its vision for a sustainable domestic refining industry that prioritizes quality and affordability for all Nigerians.
