The Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria has warned that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s plan to bypass existing distribution channels and supply refined petroleum products directly to end-users would lead to a nationwide disruption, long-term product scarcity, and the collapse of existing supply networks.
The oil and gas suppliers called on the refinery to halt its plan and seek further dialogue before commencing the distribution of products to end users, urging it to learn from what happened to non-functional refineries under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the issue, further stressing that Dangote alone cannot handle nationwide distribution of products sustainably.
Recall that the $20bn Dangote refinery recently disclosed plans to deploy 4,000 new Compressed Natural Gas-powered tankers for nationwide distribution of petrol and diesel directly to marketers, manufacturers, telecom firms, aviation companies, and other large consumers, bypassing traditional depots and intermediaries.