
Dangote launches nationwide fuel distribution despite tanker blockade
Beginning on August 15, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery intends to distribute Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) across the country.
This came as concerns about a fuel shortage grew in Lagos and around the nation as a result of the issue surrounding the Lagos State Government's E-Call Up system.
Lagos State's fuel marketers and tanker drivers announced on Sunday that they would no longer be loading petroleum products as of right now because they could not afford to pay N12,500 per truck for the E-Call Up system, particularly on the Lekki-Epe Corridor.
The Lagos State Government responded by saying that the E-Call Up system could not be reversed Monday and accused the unions of collecting as much as N41,000 from drivers who were not receiving any services.
In a statement released on Sunday amid the fighting, the Dangote refinery said that it would use 4,000 brand-new tankers fueled by compressed natural gas to increase delivery capacity and facilitate fuel access nationwide.
It revealed that the offer would be available to manufacturers, telecom providers, marketers, gas station dealers, aviation companies, and other major fuel consumers. The company also revealed intentions to enhance distribution by building a dedicated fleet of more than 100 gas-powered trucks and six booster CNG stations.
It stated that the goal of the logistics assistance, which included free product delivery, was to remove distribution bottlenecks and reduce operating expenses in important economic sectors.
“This strategic programme is part of our broader commitment to eliminating logistics costs, enhancing energy efficiency, promoting sustainability, and supporting Nigeria’s economic development,” the company said.
Recall that Aliko Dangote, the founder of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and president of the Dangote Group, once declared that a significant "shakedown" would be announced nationwide.
The project is anticipated to revitalize idle filling stations, lower inflationary pressure, boost small companies, and promote the President Bola Tinubu administration's economic reform effort. It also includes a credit plan for large purchases of 500,000 liters and above.
The anticipated income at the truck driver parks constructed under the E-Call Up system may suffer as a result of Dangote's intention to supply fuel directly.
Fear of scarcity
Marketers, however, voiced concern that if nothing is done to settle the issue peacefully, tanker drivers' decision to stop lifting fuel starting today (Monday) could lead to shortages.
The E-Call Up system, according to Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, was created to control the flow of articulated vehicles and tankers entering the Lekki-Epe corridor. This will encourage orderly traffic flow and avoid the kind of congestion that was previously seen in the Apapa area.
Industrial and commercial activity has continued to rise in the Lekki-Epe axis, which is home to important projects including the Dangote refinery, Lekki Deep Sea Port, and other oil and gas sites.
Truck operators would have to register online and upload their Authority to Load documents under the new regime, according to Transportation Commissioner Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, who explained that the E-Call Up System was created to control truck movements using a structured scheduling framework in order to prevent chaos on the roads.
The commissioner stated that "the process is aimed at reducing illegal parking, improving traffic flow, enhancing security, and safeguarding road infrastructure along the busy corridor." Only trucks that were verified and cleared would be allowed access to designated truck parks, where they would wait for an electronic call-up notification before continuing to their loading destinations.
The authorities claimed that because there is only one main exit in the area, this increase has made traffic issues worse.
Under the auspices of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the National Association of Road Transport Owners, the tanker drivers stated that they were only able to pay N2,500 per truck.
NARTO President Yusuf Othman told one of our correspondents on Sunday that the organization was still negotiating with the Lagos State Government to let its members pay N2,500 per truck rather than N12,500.
“It is not that our members don’t want to load from the Dangote refinery; there is a plan by the Lagos State Government to start the E-Call Up system on Monday, which will attract N12,500 per truck. We have requested the Lagos State Government to reduce the amount, but the government has yet to do that. Therefore, we told our members not to ply the road; they should hold on until we have an amicable resolution with the Lagos State Government.
“For now, we are still negotiating with the Lagos State Government. There is no cause for alarm for now. But if they disagree, our boys will not go and load tomorrow (Monday). We told the government that the N12,500 is too high. We recommended N2,500 from the beginning. Let’s see how it goes if we can have an amicable resolution; if not, there will be no loading on Monday,” Othman said.
Speaking, IPMAN Vice President, Hammed Fashola, said that marketers were not against the E-Call Up system, but the N12,500 fee. Aside from the cost, Fashola said the state government was in a hurry to implement the policy, calling on the government to listen to stakeholders.
“Let me start by saying that both the NARTO and IPMAN are not against the initiative of the Lagos State Government. We are not against it. In actual fact, we have been in discussion with them for some time. I think the only issue is the cost. And again, I think they are in a hurry to implement this system, which is not supposed to be so.
“All stakeholders have to be on the same page before they can implement it. When you want to look at the stakeholders in this sense, you look at IPMAN, NARTO, Petroleum Tanker Drivers, the refinery, and depot operators too. If you want to do a call-up system, you have to involve the refinery and the depots, because you need information from them. There must be a synergy so that all stakeholders are on the same page. All these things are not there,” he said.
Fashola faulted the condition of the parks built for the trucks, alleging that the state government had not taken stakeholders on a tour of the facility.
“As I’m talking to you today, I can speak for IPMAN. Nobody has shown this facility to IPMAN. I think sometime last year, I was part of the team that went out to look at all the proposed parks. We went to Orile, there’s one in Orele, there’s one in Mile 2. All these facilities are just like a mushroom park. They are not really built for trucks. So, we advised that they have to upgrade them.
“There were no facilities in place. How can you put a truck, either empty or loaded, on an empty ground? You are just waiting for disaster to happen. We advised the government that anybody who wants to operate a park must operate a standard park. That is the only inspection that I can say all the stakeholders were involved,” he said.
Fashola said that none of the parks visited then got the approval of stakeholders, saying the Lekki-Epe park was not shown to IPMAN. He added that letters were written to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the commissioner, but neither of them responded.
“This Lekki-Epe axis they are talking about, as I’m talking to you, nobody has shown any park to IPMAN. All these things matter. We have to look at it, make our observations, and make corrections if necessary. If they are up to standard, we sanction them. Then, the issue of cost, nobody has discussed it with us. When they mentioned it, we wrote to the governor, we wrote to the Commissioner for Transport, and we recommended N2,500. Up till now, there has been no official response from them.
“The only thing we heard was that ’we are going out, we are going to implement this by Monday, June 16, no going back.’ Things are not done like that,” he cautioned.
Fashola stated that the policy was similar to creating ’jobs for the boys’, because Dangote refinery and Pinnacle Oil have enough space for their trucks.
“This should not look as if it’s a job for the boys because as I’m talking to you, if you go to the Dangote refinery, they have a big facility to accommodate whatever truck they want to load in a day. If you go to Pinnacle, they have their own park. So, there must be an exception for some drivers.
“If I’m coming from the north, I can decide to park my truck in Ogere and wait until I get the approval to load either from the refinery or from Pinnacle. Once I get that, my truck hits the road. I don’t need to wait for anything other than to move. So, what is the essence of my going to another park again to go and pay N12,500? It doesn’t make sense,” he stated, stressing that the facility should be for those who needed it.
“Those who can use it will use it. It should not come under compulsion. Some marketers in Lagos have their stations in Lagos. They have their parks attached to their stations. If they programme them today to come and pick up products at the refinery, should they leave their stations to go and stay in another park before they will now move out of that park and move to Dangote? Does that make sense?
“So, I think they are in a hurry and they have to be careful too, because if you say y