The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has explained the reason prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), cannot drop sharply in reaction to the reduction of prices of crude oil in the world market, saying what they are selling at the moment were crudes purchased when the prices were high.
The group, the first and only private entity in Nigeria and most of Africa, however gave the hope that Nigerians would continue to enjoy reduced cost of the pump-prices if the crude oil prices continued to decrease on the international market.
In a statement announcing the reduction of reduced its ex-gantry price for by N50, bringing it to just N1,075 per litre, the company, said on Thursday: “Today’s reduction is the fourth price cut in one month, bringing cumulative reductions to above N200 per litre on PMS. The reduction in price is based on actual production economics and inventory costs, not decline in global oil price.
“This approach ensures that pricing decisions are anchored on actual production economics and inventory costs rather than short term fluctuations in international oil markets. Nigeria today benefits from the stabilising role of domestic refining capacity.”
Stressing the reason for toeing the line, the company informed that over the same one-month period, had reduced the ex-gantry price of automotive gas oil (AGO), also known as diesel, by N300 per litre and Jet A1 aviation fuel by N520 per litre.
Stressing that the reflection of the prices could not mirror daily movements in international crude oil markets because crude was usually purchased weeks or months before it is processed, it stressed that the products currently being supplied to the market were produced from crude inventories acquired when international prices were substantially higher.
Stressing that the average landing cost of crude processed stood at approximately $124.80 per barrel in May and $95.25 per barrel in June, compared with the current international benchmark of about $71.01 per barrel, the refinery stated that its crude procurement costs were not based solely on the headline ICE Brent benchmark commonly quoted in the media, but on a dated Brent basis alongside applicable market premiums, freight, and logistics costs.
Despite the sharp increase in crude acquisition costs during the period, the refinery said it deliberately refrained from transferring the full financial impact to consumers, choosing instead to absorb a significant portion of the additional costs to support market stability.
The company noted that this pricing approach has helped to keep petroleum product prices in Nigeria below those prevailing in neighbouring countries, even after accounting for applicable taxes.
Dangote refinery added that as lower-priced crude cargoes progressively enter its production cycle, it has begun systematically passing the benefits to the market through phased price reductions.
The petrol producer expressed confidence that if international crude prices remain favourable and lower-cost feedstock continues to replace higher-priced inventories, Nigerians should expect further moderation in petroleum product prices.