The rivalry between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Dangote Refinery, took a dramatic turn Sunday when Refinery refuted claims made by the spokesperson of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, that the refinery sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the company at N898 per litre.

Recall that on Sunday, the NNPCL as the sole buyer, commenced lifting of PMS, also known as petrol, from the 650,000 barrels per day refinery at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.

However, the Dangote Refinery, in a statement issued Sunday night by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Mr.  Anthony Chiejina, described the claim as misleading and an attempt to undermine the significant progress made in addressing Nigeria’s long-standing energy challenges.

Chiejina emphasised that the refinery’s current stock of crude was procured in dollars, adding that sales to the NNPCL were conducted in dollars, resulting in considerable savings compared to the prices of imported fuel.

He also reassured Nigerians that there will soon be adequate petrol supply across the country, reaching the most remote local government areas.

The refinery urged Nigerians to disregard the claims made by NNPCL spokesperson, Mr Olufemi Soneye and await the formal pricing announcement from the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales, appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The refinery reiterated its commitment to ensuring the availability of quality petroleum products and ending fuel scarcity in Nigeria.

The statement reads, ”Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL.

”This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedevilled the economy in the past 50 years.

”We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars.

”It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPCL in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing. With this action, there will be petrol in every local government area of the country regardless of their remote nature.

”We assure Nigerians of availability of quality petroleum product and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country.”

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has condemned the recent increase in the price of petrol by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The leader of the minority caucus in the House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, conveyed the condemnation through a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He argued that the development is not only ill-timed but also grossly insensitive to the harsh economic conditions currently being experienced by Nigerians across the country.

Chinda said that the hike is coming at a time when the nation is grappling with unprecedented economic challenges.

He added that a further increase in the price of gasoline would not only exacerbate the suffering of the average Nigerian.

The lawmaker said that the ripple effects of such an increase were far-reaching, impacting the cost of transportation, food, and other essential goods and services.

He said that this would ultimately erode the already fragile purchasing power of millions of citizens, pushing more families into poverty.

According to him, the Minority caucus is deeply concerned that this decision by the NNPC appears to have been made without adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders.

This, he said, includes the National Assembly, which represents the interests of the people.

He argued that the unilateral action disregarded the principles of transparency, accountability, and fairness, which should guide decisions affecting the lives of the citizenry.

“We, therefore, call on the Federal government to urgently intervene and reverse this unwarranted increase in petrol prices.

“We also urge the government to explore and implement more sustainable measures to stabilise the economy without placing an additional burden on the people.

This, according to him, includes prioritising the rehabilitation and upgrading of our local refineries and curbing corruption within the petroleum sector.

He urged the Federal government to ensure that subsidies genuinely benefitted the masses rather than a few privileged individuals.

The Lagos State Government has reappointed MoneyMasterPSB, a leading payment service bank, for the second phase of the “Ounje Eko” food discount market, which will open throughout the state on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

The Lagos State Government launched Ounje Eko, a programme that offers the people a 25 percent discount on a range of food items. Its purpose is to provide relief to the state’s citizens amidst the rising cost of food items.

On Sunday, September 1, the discount market, which was successfully piloted in March of this year, will resume in all Local Government Areas (LGAs), Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), and on the campuses of five post-secondary institutions in the state.

MoneMaster has been given the nod to deploy its state-of-the-art collecting solution for smooth transactions at the Ounje Eko discount markets, due to its creative and strong payment and collection technological infrastructure. The bank will be doing this to guarantee great experiences for the patrons of the markets and ensure payment destinations also get real-time value.

A statement from MoneyMaster disclosed that the bank is “excited to partner with the Lagos State Government in the second phase of the Ounje Eko discount markets as this programme aligns with our corporate philosophy of adding value to people’s lives”.

MoneyMaster PSB was chosen for the payment program because of its strong payment channels, safe, quick transaction processing, and first-rate performance during the scheme’s initial phase earlier this year.

MoneyMasterPSB is a CBN-licensed provider of innovative digital financial products and services that transform lives and contribute to sustainable living. MoneyMaster has been instrumental in providing financial technology services to bridge the gap between the banked, underbanked and unbanked populace.