A deal has been struck between the Nigerian government’s committee set up to oversee the implementation of crude oil sales to local refineries in naira and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on the September rollout of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol. Additionally, the Federal Government revealed that starting on October 1, 2024, crude oil would be sold to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.
This was disclosed on Monday in Abuja during a meeting with the Implementation Committee by Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
A message on the finance ministry’s official X (formerly Twitter) page stated that the purpose of the gathering was to assess the status of important projects.
To ensure a seamless implementation, important roles for stakeholders were outlined at the conference. These included the African Export-Import Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The post read, “The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, today led the Implementation Committee meeting on the transition to crude oil sales in naira.
“The meeting reviewed progress on key initiatives, including the upcoming commencement of naira payments for crude oil sales to the Dangote Refinery starting October 1, 2024.”
Also, the Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee and Dr Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, noted that “The first PMS delivery from Dangote is expected next month under existing agreements.”
Additionally, it said that updates on the Port Harcourt and Dangote refineries were given, and that beginning in November 2024, considerable production increases were anticipated.
To ensure that the President’s directives are being carried out as planned starting in September, the minister highlighted the need for transparency and gave the Technical Sub-Committee instructions to finalise specifics and prepare a report.
Remember that on July 29, the Federal Executive Council approved President Tinubu’s request that NNPC stop selling crude oil to regional refineries in foreign currencies.
The Federal Executive Council gave its approval to provide Nigerian refineries, starting with the Dangote refinery, 450,000 barrels intended for domestic use in exchange for Naira.
The action is intended to maintain stability in both the dollar-to-naira exchange rate and the refined gasoline pump price. According to research, Dangote Refinery currently needs fifteen cargoes of crude oil each year.