Marketers of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol under the aegis of Petroleum Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) on October 7 insisted they are currently negotiating to import 100,000 metric tons of the products monthly.

According to the association, depending on the domestic refineries for petrol has crippled their businesses to the extent that only 500 out of over 6,000 retail outlets are still operational.

The situation may liquidate their businesses and place them under the receivership of their lenders if they do not seek alternatives to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is interested in the export market and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that its Port Harcourt Refinery has failed to commence production at the August target.

Its President, Dr. Billing Harry made this known on the phone.

“We are exploring the possibility of us bringing our own product. We are advancing on that. We are trying to arrange for us to bring 100,000 metric tons per month,” he said.

Describing the move as a plan until payment is made for the product, he said “Once we do that and look for how to pay, then it becomes news. For now, we are still in the pipeline.”

He said his association is tired of depending on the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote plant, whose body language has indicated that the company is more interested in the export market.

The PETROAN boss said: “That is the only because we can’t depend on Dangote. Dangote clearly, the mind is more focused on the export market.”

Aside from that, he said the refinery has kept them guessing for too long without communicating its terms of engagement to them.

According to him, there was speculation that the refinery had planned to sell the product to them directly. He wondered why the company refused to inform the marketers since it has the different associations’ phone numbers.

He urged the refinery to partner directly with PETROAN, which has over 6,000 retail outlets.

Harry said: “NNPCL, from rumour, we are hearing NNPCL is saying he (Dangote) can deal with us directly. That is not the way to work. We should be able to talk to him (Dangote). We should be able to hear from him. There is no need to say we want to sell to you when you can reach us and we can agree or disagree instantly.”

NNPCL, Chief Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, who The Nation dialed his phone and sent a text message to confirm whether the national oil company is no longer the sole off-taker of Dangote’s petrol did not respond.

Meanwhile, Harry said it was surprising the marketers were yet to get an official communication about the pricing from the refinery.

According to him, it was through the rumour mill the members learnt the refinery would sell petrol at N766 per litre.

He said surprisingly, the refinery and NNPCL were yet to agree on one pump price.

On how the state-owned NNPCL has dashed the high hope of commencing production from its Port Harcourt Refinery in August, he recalled the members were patriotically waiting for Dangote to produce its fuel but since the product cannot get to them they have to seek alternatives.

He said, “PETROAN has been at the forefront of insisting that in-country refining of product should be the order of the day.

“If we have a petroleum product that is refined in Nigeria and not being able to reach us in distribution, then we have to find alternative methods.

“Port Harcourt Refinery we expected and anticipated that at least August we should have started doing public business, we didn’t see that and we also have not heard any definitive and productive business engagement.

“So when there is that situation, we have over 6,000 retail outlets, out of which number that is doing business is not up to 500. You can say that is a redundant business and before you know our financial partners will start calling for our retail outlets and therefore cripple us. So, if there is any option we can get we have to get it,” he added. (The Nation)