President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, has clarified that PETROAN did not lift Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) directly from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) depots during the test distribution phase, stressing that the association only purchased diesel (AGO) and kerosene (DPK) from the Port Harcourt Refinery.
He made the clarification In an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, while firmly rejecting allegations of corruption among PETROAN members and describing claims of unfair pump pricing as unfounded and unsupported by credible data.
He said “For the products that we are lifting in NNPC, especially in Port Harcourt Refinery, most of them were DPK and AGO. PMS was lifted by NNPC to NNPC trucks to NNPC stations. And of course, we did buy from NNPC stations in our cars.
“But we did not buy any commercial PMS from NNPC while the process of doing distributions from that depot was going on. And we made that very clear. There was no time we are saying that we are picking PMS from the depot.
“We are picking PMS from NNPC through the private depots that are partnering with them.”
PETROAN President, has also defended his association’s position on product supply from Nigerian refineries and denied allegations that its members were involved in pricing manipulations that short-changed consumers.
Gillis-Harry addressed mounting questions surrounding fuel product allocations from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the functionality of local refineries, and the alleged role of PETROAN members in perpetuating unfair fuel pricing.
“Let me clearly state this, and I do not want to be misquoted because I will give my answers with very strong facts,” he began. “PETROAN is one of the greatest supporters of the Nigerian internal in-country refining campaign. And we did that with all good intention as a patriotic organisation to support the government and the industry leaders, especially NNPC, to encourage them to complete that rehabilitation and revamping process.”
Gillis-Harry noted that PETROAN had made several visits to NNPC refineries and documented their engagements. “Each time we visited, I have videos. I have videos of our visits, videos of our activities that have never been published. And we can bring those videos out at any time. So we have facts. We were not supporting NNPC’s refinery blindly.”
He emphasised that PETROAN is well informed due to the presence of experienced professionals within its ranks: “In my association, we have very senior officers in the private and public sectors that are part of our leadership. We are not engineers, but we do have engineers who understand the process. We ask technically sound questions, and we answer them with evidence.”
Clarifying the nature of products received, he explained: “For the products that we are lifting in NNPC, especially from Port Harcourt Refinery, most of them were DPK and AGO. PMS was lifted by NNPC to NNPC trucks to NNPC stations. And of course, we did buy from NNPC stations in our cars.”
“But we did not buy any commercial PMS from NNPC while the distribution process from that depot was ongoing. We made that very clear. There was no time we said we were picking PMS from the depot. We were picking PMS from NNPC through the private depots partnering with them. Yes, we did take products running into tens of millions of litres. I have all the allocations given to us by NNPC.”
He added that PETROAN continues to apply for DPK, LPFO, and AGO from NNPC, even during periods of refinery maintenance. “It takes processes for allocations to be given. While we don’t have that, we go elsewhere to meet our needs. That is a fact.”
On the contribution of Dangote Refinery, he said, “We are very proud of the Dangote foray into the business. We want to support him. We want to encourage him to be successful. However, I’m asking him also to do other realities. It’s not the Ministry of Transportation that is going to be investing in all of those things. This is where our government should come in.”
Gillis-Harry responded firmly to allegations made by Kelvin Emmanuel that PETROAN members were contributing to high fuel prices through corrupt practices.
“That information is absolutely incorrect. I don’t know where Mr Kelvin gets his data from. I’m more than happy to confront his data with facts. There is only one source where we can get facts—NNPC or the NMDPRA database, which records all depot transactions. Emotions don’t count here. I’m in the business, I wear the shoes, so I know where it pinches.”
“Any station that bears a PETROAN logo has a retail licence from the NMDPRA. We are very careful. Yes, we cannot say 100%, because even the monkey said it cannot vouch for its child behind. So broad accusations are completely wrong.”
He acknowledged the existence of corruption in the system: “Corruption in the country and in the industry is not a lie. I sympathise with us as a country. We must address it. But you see, the critical point is what Dangote Refinery has announced, and PETROAN 100% will support its success.”
Gillis-Harry argued that smaller distributors also deserved recognition: “The success of one giant should also be a celebrated success of the Lilliputians. We are the small boys doing an efficient job in distributing petroleum products. In the riverine areas, fuel costs are high, yes—but there are cost implications: finance, logistics, security, and time to deliver.”
Addressing fuel pricing concerns, he responded to recent comments by Pegasun questioning the N700 pump price. “Even in our statements, written and oral, we have always supported Dangote’s ventures. What he has done gives us pride as Africans. So there’s no time what Dangote is doing will not be what PETROAN supports.”
He clarified previous concerns raised by PETROAN: “We said there are suspicions and worries, given the nature of how the system works. People have invested and lived in this industry for over 60 years. So it’s important that everyone is on the same table.”
On regulation and the role of Dangote, he said, “Dangote is not a regulator, and cannot be. The country should know that a single company cannot take the place of the regulator. Regulators must do their constitutional duty.”
He stressed that pricing must follow the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA): “Article 207 clearly talks about how pricing should be structured. Are we following the law? The answer may not be yes. I’m anxious to see those rules applied. That’s what will stabilise the price.”
“Don’t forget that any product taken from a depot to a retail outlet carries many cost implications. So when it gets to the station, who bears the cost? It’s you, Nigerians. All of us. I pay the same price at stations, regardless of being the president of PETROAN.”
He concluded by calling for fair pricing mechanisms: “We are very anxious that the pricing being discussed by refiners, depot owners, marketers or retailers should reflect what the PIA provides in section 207. The final station price must reflect cost and margin realistically.”
Gillis-Harry maintained that PETROAN remains committed to a transparent, fair, and efficient fuel distribution system, while advocating for policies that will improve affordability and supply for all Nigerians.
Boluwatife Enome
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