Barring any unforseen, Dangote Refinery will start distributing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the NNPC today, Sunday, September 15, 2024. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, announced this during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Edun, was represented by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, at the briefing.
In his words: “I am glad to announce that all agreements have been completed and loading of the first batch of PMS from the Dangote Refinery will commence on Sunday, Sept. 15.”
“From Oct. 1, NNPC Ltd. will commence the supply of about 385kbpd of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery, to be paid for in Naira. In return, the Dangote Refinery will supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market, to be paid in Naira.”
“Diesel will be sold in Naira by the Dangote Refinery to any interested off-taker. PMS will only be sold to NNPC, NNPC will then sell to various marketers for now,”
Edun stated that all related regulatory costs, including those from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), would be paid in Naira.
He also mentioned plans to establish a one-stop shop to coordinate services from regulatory and security agencies, along with other stakeholders, to ensure the smooth implementation of the initiative. This coordination hub would be located at the NPA in Lagos.
Edun further explained that the technical committee, which developed the initiative, would transition into an implementation, execution, and monitoring committee, operating out of Lagos for the next three to six months.
Edun noted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), led by President Bola Tinubu, had approved the sale of crude oil to local refineries in Naira, with petroleum products also being purchased in Naira.
He explained that this initiative would ease pressure on the Naira, cut unnecessary transaction costs, and improve the availability of petroleum products in the country.
The minister added that the implementation committee, which he chairs, along with the technical committee, had worked closely with NNPCL and Dangote Refinery to finalize the modalities for executing the FEC’s approval.
