The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said it could not force oil marketers in the country to patronize Dangote Refinery to meet their commercial needs.
The Chief Executive, NMDPRA, Engr Farouk Ahmed who disclosed this during a meeting with key oil marketing companies in Abuja on Tuesday also blamed the recent shortage of petrol across the country on the logistics problem faced by NNPC Limited in moving product from offshore to onshore depots.
He stressed that though the government was encouraging local refining of petroleum products to reduce imports, it would not compel oil marketers to buy from Dangote Refinery as the decision was commercial.
“We allayed the fears of the marketers and we told them that Dangote refinery is a major achievement in our country because in the past we were importing every litre of petroleum products we required except those supplied by modular refineries.
“And as an oil producing country, we believe at NMDPRA that we should support our local industry. And that is why we encourage our marketers to patronize our local refineries.
“But, at the same time, it is a commercial decision that they will have to make between the suppliers and the clients. NMDPRA will not determine how much it is sold or how much you are buying.
“It is their own decision to go to Dangote refinery and purchase, and for Dangote refinery to determine the price it will sell. As a regulator, we are only interested that the nation is well supplied”, he added.
