DAPPMAN Urges Dangote Refinery to Open Supply Channels, Assure Fair Pricing

|By Adejumo Adekunle

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has called on the Dangote Refinery to adopt an open-door supply policy that guarantees marketers equal access to petroleum products at fair prices.

DAPPMAN spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, made the appeal on Wednesday during an interview on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme.

Ohia argued that collaboration with the refinery would stabilize fuel supply nationwide and end recurring fuel queues. He dismissed reports of conflict between the association and the refinery, insisting that DAPPMAN’s concern was ensuring Nigerians enjoyed steady and affordable access to petroleum products.

“Our key interest is to have petroleum products offered at reasonable prices consistently, in a way that there’s no stock-out and Nigerians no longer queue for fuel,” he said.

The marketers, he explained, welcomed Dangote Refinery’s dominance in the sector but identified access and pricing as the major concerns. Ohia further noted that DAPPMAN members have, for over two decades, built a strong distribution network with depots strategically positioned in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.

“What we are asking Dangote to do is to use these depots that are already in existence for us to meet the demands of Nigerians,” he stated.

He dismissed suggestions that marketers were lobbying for subsidies, stressing that the issue remained purely commercial. According to him, most global refineries adopt supply models such as wholesale bulk lifting by vessels and ex-gantry retail sales, which Nigeria could also leverage for efficiency.