IPMAN: Dangote’s Free Petrol Scheme Will Ease Marketers’ Burden

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has commended Dangote Petroleum Refinery for extending its free petrol distribution scheme to Imo, Anambra and other states, saying the initiative could reduce the financial burden on independent marketers and help stabilise pump prices.

IPMAN National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, said the programme would make it easier for marketers to access petroleum products and ultimately improve the availability and affordability of petrol for consumers.

Ukadike explained that independent marketers had often faced financial difficulties after paying for products in advance and waiting for days or weeks before their orders were loaded.

“This gesture, if sustained, will be able to alleviate the sufferings of independent marketers,” he said.

“There has been the issue of financial hold-up, whereby marketers pay for products and are not loaded for days and weeks, and they suffer unnecessary hardship bringing the product down.”

‘Your Money Will Not Be Tied Down’

The IPMAN spokesman said Dangote Refinery had made product distribution considerably easier, allowing marketers to receive their supplies more quickly.

“This time around, Dangote has made it very, very easy for marketers. Marketers are jubilating, and you will see the return on investment as an independent marketer. Your money will not be tied down,” Ukadike said.

He noted that receiving petroleum products closer to their operational locations would also reduce the risks and costs associated with transporting fuel over long distances.

Ukadike said the savings could eventually translate into lower retail prices, particularly if Dangote Refinery continued to reduce its own pump price.

“You also have less risk, and you have petroleum products at your doorstep. Other consumers will also see that our pump price will not continue to go up. The more Dangote brings down its pump price, the more independent marketers will bring down theirs,” he said.

Marketers Want Wider Coverage

While welcoming the expansion of the initiative, IPMAN urged Dangote Refinery to extend the scheme to more states, especially those in northern Nigeria.

“We want to commend the management of Dangote Refinery for making this possible, and we are also appealing to them to extend it further to other states, especially those in the northern areas, so that petroleum products will be bought uniformly. This will reduce the hardship Nigeria is facing,” Ukadike said.

He described the initiative as evidence of the benefits that deregulation and competition can bring to Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.

“This is the beauty of deregulation and competition,” he said.

Dangote Refinery has continued to implement the free petrol distribution initiative across several states, with the aim of reducing the impact of fuel price fluctuations and transportation costs on consumers.

The extension of the scheme to Imo and Anambra has been welcomed by independent marketers, who are seeking broader coverage to ease distribution challenges and support greater stability in petrol prices across the country.

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