Marketers and retailers will begin to lift Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from the Port Harcourt Refining Company this week.
The spokesperson of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Joseph Obele, told the PUNCH that since the refinery come on stream in November, it has been supplying fuel Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets only.
He said marketers still load fuel from the NNPCL, adding that the products marketers currently buy from the state-owned oil company were imported.
Obele expressed worry that the NNPCL was selling PMS to retailers in Port Harcourt at prices higher than that of Lagos State, pleading and urged the refinery to sell at N899 per litre instead of N970.
“NNPC is still telling us to buy at a rate different from the rate they are selling to Lagos at the moment because of logistics. So, Port Harcourt retail outlet owners are not really comfortable with that. Hence, the Port Harcourt refinery will start servicing us this week.
“We are also requesting that the same rate NNPC is selling to our members at Lagos should be the rate they will be selling to us over here in Port Harcourt too. We are not really comfortable with that disparity,” he disclosed.
Obele requested the NNPC to sell to them at the same rate they are selling fuel to Lagos marketers, saying “the difference is too much. It is N899 per litre in Lagos but N970 in Port Harcourt. It is far higher than that of Lagos.
“The way they explain it, it is like their own vessel will be bringing it and shipping it over to Port Harcourt depot for us to buy. So, we are now saying that since you will be selling directly to us from the refinery, you now have the stock available. Sell to us at the same rate you are selling to Lagos marketers.
“So, that’s where we are right now. Our request is that the NNPC should sell to us from the Port Harcourt refinery at the same rate they are selling the product to those in Lagos.”
