- Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, had said the downstream petroleum sector has been deregulated.
- Onanuga said with the new regime in the petroleum sector, oil marketers are free to import petrol and sell the product at a reasonable price.
Shehu Sani, former-Kaduna Central senator, says the Dangote Refinery and NNPCL’s ”price war” is a mere “skit”.
The ex-Kaduna state lawmaker responded to the federal government’s hands-off stance on the “price war” between NNPCL and Dangote Refinery, criticizing the decision.
The presidency had declared on Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu won’t step into the price dispute between Dangote Refinery and NNPC Limited over “premium motor spirit” (PMS), or petrol.
However, September 15 — marked the beginning of NNPC’s petrol collection at Dangote Refinery, following lengthy price talks.
The NNPC announced purchasing petrol from Dangote Refinery at N898 per litre on the same day— but the Dangote Refinery disputed this, labeling NNPC’s claim “both misleading and mischievous”.
Afterwards, the NNPC set petrol prices at N950.22 per litre in Lagos, with higher rates in northern Nigeria, peaking at N1,019.22 in Borno.
According to Onanuga, the new petroleum regime allows oil marketers to import and sell petrol at competitive prices.
Onanuga emphasized that NNPC retains the authority to determine petrol prices.
Reacting to the development on Thursday, Sani posted on X: “Now that the FG will not intervene in the Price war between Dangote and the NNPCL shows that ‘the war’ is a Skit.”