NNPC Ltd. trucks are currently arriving at the Dangote Refinery in preparation for the scheduled petrol loading which is expected to commence on Sunday, September 15, 2024. This has corroborated the insinuation that the product will soon flood the domestic filling stations.

According to information made available on its X social media handle, at least 300 trucks will be stationed at the refinery’s fuel loading gantry in readiness for this loading operations. As of Saturday afternoon, NNPC Ltd. had deployed over 100 trucks, with hundreds more en route.

Dangote Refinery has equally affirmed the above report stating that the first set of NNPC Ltd. trucks are set for loading of PMS at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery gantry.

But going by the letter signed by the Group Chief Commercial Officer of Dangote Refinery and made available in the media space, Rabiu Umar, Dangote Refinery has failed to meet NNPCL’s initial request of 25 Million Liters PMS Demand, by approving 16.3 Million Liters which is however in shortfall of the 8.7 million litres.

Going exactly the content of the letter, Dangote Refinery is expected to release 12,200 metric tonnes to NNPC Ltd. and by the conversion rate of 1341 litres to one metric ton, it, therefore, implies that this would translate to about 16.3 million litres of petrol.

The letter addressed to the NNPC from Dangote Refinery thus reads, “This is to formally notify you of the release of Twelve Thousand, Two hundred Metric Tons (12,200 MT) of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from Tank No.3201D at Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Ibeju Lekki to Messrs. NNPC Trading Limited to be loaded via road trucks.”

This above shortfall might be unconnected to previous allegation posed by the Dangote Refinery accusing NNPC Ltd of short supplying the refinery crude in its September crude oil allocation.

The company has in September through its Group Chief, Branding and Communication Officer, Anthony Chiejina bemoaned NNPC Ltd for reneging in its promise of supplying the refinery with 15 cargoes, of which Dangote acknowledged that NNPC only allocated six cargoes.

“For September, our requirement is 15 cargoes, of which NNPC allocated six. Despite appealing to NUPRC and their intervention, we’ve been unable to secure the remaining cargoes. When we approached IOCs producing in Nigeria, they redirected us to their international trading arms or responded that their cargoes were committed.

 Consequently, we often purchase the same Nigerian crude from international traders at an additional $3-$4 premium per barrel which translates to $3-$4 million per cargo, “He posited.

 Hitching on a section of the Petroleum Industrial Act for its solemn right of crude oil supply, the company urges the NUPRC to compel the IOCs to comply with the existing section of the act and do the needful.