By Ebiere Kekeboro
The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited is set to roll out 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas trucks as part of its plan to begin direct fuel distribution to marketers and critical sectors of the economy from August 15.
Industry stakeholders have signaled their alignment with the refinery’s plan, with at least 25 marketers signing up for the direct fuel distribution deal.
According to a senior executive at Dangote Group, the refinery is preparing to move products nationwide using its fleet of 4,000 trucks.
“Yes, more marketers are now registering with us ahead of the planned free distribution of petroleum products using 4,000 trucks. Right now, the number of strategic partners has grown to 25. We started with three partners but now, it has jumped to 25 partners,” the Dangote official said.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said marketers have no choice but to align with Dangote.
“Well, we don’t have any option. Dangote has become the only supplier of petroleum products in Nigeria and West Africa. I don’t know if they have conquered other markets but I am talking authoritatively on information at my desk as the IPMAN spokesperson,” Ukadike said.
However, the development is fueling concerns among tanker drivers, who fear massive job loss when Dangote begins direct supply of Premium Motor Spirit to oil marketers. The National President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, confirmed that stakeholders were planning to meet over the matter to make their positions known.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has warned against what it described as a “Greek gift” by Dangote, drawing parallels with past monopolies in Nigeria’s flour, sugar, and cement industries.
“I think Nigerians need to be careful about accepting a ‘Greek gift’. We need to be much more insightful, as we have experienced it in different spheres of the economy, whether it is flour, sugar, or cement,” the National President of PETROAN, Billy-Gillis Harry, said.