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As Dangote Refinery begins local supply of petrol, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has appealed to the industrialist and owner of the refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to prioritise patriotism and nationalism above profit.
Showunmi, in a statement on Tuesday, said Nigerians had suffered a lot and bore a great burden in having to pay heavily for a litre of petrol.
The PDP stalwart, who was joyful over the readiness of Dangote Refinery to begin to supply the country with petrol for local consumption, pleaded with the industrialist to be moderate with the pricing.
Showunmi said that the act of selfless love for the people, which runs in the family of Dangote must be reflected in the way and manner the petroleum products from his refinery are sold to the people.
The Abeokuta-born politician described Dangote as a great gift to Africa, hailing him for doing so much, especially, in the area of investment and employment creation, to redeem the pride of the Black race.
Showunmi said, “Dear Aliko Dangote, son of Mariya, a great gift to us in Nigeria. Thank you for this day. You have redeemed our pride as Black people, as humans capable of contributing value and engaging in the activities that others do, with the coming onstream of the PMS from your Dangote Refinery. A grateful nation thanks you.
“You must, however, try as much as possible to be moderate in your pricing, for our people have bore such a heavy burden for so long, I get sustainable pricing, but ensure that the markup takes into consideration our people.”
According to Showunmi, Dangote comes from a long-standing historical business family.
“Profit is good, but nationalism, patriotism and empathy must be your guide. May our creator bless and preserve Dangote Refinery, the workers, and all that have dealings with it,” he concluded.
Independent petroleum marketers in Nigeria are hoping that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will sell its Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, at N600 or N650/litre when it is finally released into the market.
Dealers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria said they believed that the Dangote refinery would crash the price of petrol as it did with diesel.
IPMAN National Vice President, Hammed Fashola, told The PUNCH that the $20bn refinery would bring down the cost of fuel if it got the needed support, especially in terms of crude supply.
According to Fashola, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which is the sole importer of PMS, has been selling to marketers at N570/litre, but most IPMAN members buy from private depot owners at N700 and above.
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