The management of Dangote Group have quickly countered a claim purportedly made by the spokesperson of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Olufemi Soneye, that the company sold Premium Motor Spirit to the NNPC at ₦898 per litre.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Anthony Chiejina, Dangote Group’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, called the claims “misleading and mischievous,” stating that it seeks to undermine the company’s recent milestones in addressing Nigeria’s long-standing energy crisis.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at ₦898 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.
“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.”
Chiejina further clarified that the current stock of crude sold to NNPC was procured in dollars, with significant savings compared to existing import prices.
“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 products and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country,” the statement concluded.
