The Association of Crude Petroleum Refinery Owners of Nigeria (Coran) has urged the calm and cooperation between the Dangote refinery and the Nigerian deposit and oil products association of deposit and oil products (DAPPman), warning that the continuous rivalry could derail the country’s refining profits.
Coran, in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its president, Mr. Momoh Oyarekhua, asked the interested parties (including Dygote and Dappman) in the Petroleum and Gas sector downstream to put the national interest above the personal or group advantage.
The dispute between the two groups has focused on prices, supply arrangements and market structure. Although Dappman, representing the owners of deposits and the oil sellers, has expressed concern about the availability and competence of the product, the Dangote refinery insists that the national refining should be allowed to stabilize without external pressures.
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Oyarekhua said exchanges, which have developed in the media, run the risk of polarizing the industry at a critical moment.
“For decades, Nigeria endured the paradox of being the main producer of Africa, but depends on the imports of refined oil products. That dependence drained by foreign currency, the empowered of foreign refineries and entrenched intermediaries.
The president of Coran emphasized that the increase in local refining had altered the country’s energy value chain, urging marketing specialists to adapt to the new reality.
“Refineries cannot prosper in isolation. They need marketing specialists for storage, evacuation and distribution of the last mile. Similarly, marketing specialists need national supply to remain relevant. When repositioning as partners, tank farm operators and marketing specialists can reinvent their businesses and align with the new era of refinement,” he said.
Oyarekhua recognized the historical roles of both parties: Dappman members who maintained the products that flowed for years of import dependence, and the Dangote and indigenous refineries that are now promoting change towards self -sufficiency, foreign exchange savings and employment creation.
“What Nigeria cannot afford is that the created interests derail this refining rebirth,” he said. “The way to follow is clear: collaboration, not confrontation. Refineries need sellers, and marketing specialists need refineries. Together, they can stabilize prices, reduce the dependence of Forex and deliver affordable energy to the Nigerians.”
He warned that the rivalry, if not controlled, could suffocate the progress already made.
“This is not the time of division but for reinvention and association. Our refining rebirth is too important to be compromised by the conflict,” Oyarekhua added.
Coran reaffirmed his commitment to foster dialogue and synergy in the downstream value chain, insisting that the national interest must continue to be the guiding principle in Nigeria’s trip to energy safety.
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