The Dangote Group has refuted claims by some newspapers that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has begun lifting petrol from its refinery.
This report coincided with the recent announcement by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, that the refinery is prepared to commence production and distribution of petroleum products.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday, the Group Chief Branding Officer, Anthony Chiejina, clarified that the NNPCL has not yet started lifting fuel from the refinery.
The Dangote Group further explained that the petrol market is tightly regulated, and the company neither sets nor influences product prices, which remain under the control of the appropriate government authorities.
“We would like to state that NNPC has not commenced lifting of refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from our Dangote petroleum refinery.
“Therefore, the issue of fixing the price of petrol lifted from our refinery does not arise, as we are yet to finalise our contract with NNPC.
“We urge the public to disregard the headline as it is misleading and does not represent the true position in this matter. We are guaranteeing Nigerians of exceptionally high quality petroleum products that will be readily available all over the country,” the statement said.