Let’s pray for Dangote

Let’s pray for Dangote

By: Maijama’a Adamu

Few months back, I received a memo in my office mandating me to act as the Zonal Director of the NTA Maiduguri Network Centre.

l was neither elated nor happy. I knew what was going to happen. Few hours later, I was confronted with request for diesel. Transmission may be stopped any moment if diesel was not provided. I asked our finance and marketing departments how much money we had.

I asked of the price of the diesel and was told #1650 per liter. In some places in the same Maiduguri it was up to #1700 per liter. I called a dealer friend who agreed to offer me at #1580 per liter. Luckily my acting duty lasted only three days. I left for Eid-El-Fitr.

Few months afterwards, Dangote Refinery management announced commencement of supply of diesel at a #1000 per liter in the south and #1100 in the north. No government, past or present, in this Nigeria has ever reduced dispensing price of petroleum products by a hundred Naira. Dangote reduced it by almost six hundred Naira. NNPC price was #1580 prior to the Dangote price of #1000 to #1100.

Now all marketers, both major, independent and NNPC were left with no options but to forcefully comply with the new price regime. They can’t beat the biggest refinery in the world!

Now the refinery is set to roll out petrol and all hell has been loose down on the refinery with the NNPC ironically as the number one open enemy of the refinery. We knew of the agreement of 20% equity holding in the Dangote Refinery by the NNPC to be footed by supply of crude oil. They practically starved the refinery of the crude oil reducing their equity to only 7%. The refinery now has to go as far as US to source for crude oil.

NNPC is now telling us diesel from Dangote Refinery is the worst in the world because of high sulphur content. Dangote is firing back challenging whoever cares to do the measurement of his diesel and that from other sources to ascertain the truth.

Why on earth, will NNPC come out, openly and desperately to demarket the refinery after the frustrations they imposed on the company behind the shadows?

Who exactly is for us, and who is against us when even the agency of government is resorting to throat-slitting against the refinery that openly, is our only hope for cheaper supplies as the case of its diesel has proven.

I’m of the opinion that this enimity is sustained. Any truce or compromise that is amicably achieved may be at our own detriment.

Let’s pray for Dangote please, I so move.

Let’s pray for Dangote