By Peter Omopo | September 14, 2025.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has criticised the Dangote Refinery’s plan to slash petrol prices, warning that the move could destabilise the downstream sector and unfairly burden local businesses.
Dangote Refinery had announced that from Monday, petrol prices would drop from ₦865 to ₦841 per litre in Lagos and the South-West, and ₦851 in Abuja, Edo, and Kwara, alongside the rollout of its direct distribution scheme.
In a statement issued on Saturday, DAPPMAN’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, described the refinery’s repeated price cuts as “strategically timed” to disrupt market stability. He argued that the reductions often coincided with periods when other importers had cargoes at sea or in tanks, triggering price shocks that strained competition and left fellow market participants at a disadvantage.
“Even more concerning is the refinery’s pattern of offering lower prices to international buyers while quoting higher rates to local offtakers. This contradicts claims of prioritising Nigerians and imposes unnecessary pressure on domestic businesses already operating under tight margins,” Adewole said.
DAPPMAN also reacted to the refinery’s ongoing dispute with the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), noting that while it was not directly involved, the association was “alarmed by the tone, trajectory, and escalation of the issue,” warning that it could impact ordinary Nigerians in a still-fragile post-deregulation market.
The association stressed that it was misleading to suggest that Nigeria’s fuel supply stability rested solely on the Dangote Refinery, pointing out that its output accounts for only 30 to 35 per cent of national demand.
“The balance continues to be supplied by responsible petroleum product marketers, including DAPPMAN members, who import and distribute under strict oversight of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority,” Adewole stated.
He added that for decades, DAPPMAN members had invested in depots, trucking fleets, retail networks, and logistics to guarantee uninterrupted nationwide fuel access — even during forex crises, subsidy reforms, insecurity, and economic downturns.
Rejecting suggestions that its members deal in substandard products, DAPPMAN insisted that all fuel imports are subject to regulator-accredited laboratory testing in line with global quality standards.
