By Peter Omopo | September 14, 2025
A major row is brewing in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector as fuel importers have accused the Dangote refinery of selling petrol to international traders at lower prices than it offers to Nigerian marketers.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) confirmed in separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH that Dangote’s petrol sells for about ₦65 per litre cheaper in Lomé, Togo, than in Nigeria.
The refinery recently announced it would cut domestic pump prices to ₦841 per litre in Lagos and the South-West, and ₦851 in Abuja, Edo, and Kwara, starting Monday, alongside the launch of a direct fuel distribution scheme.
But DAPPMAN’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, argued that Nigerian marketers were disadvantaged compared to foreign buyers.
“Dangote is selling to international traders at ₦65 lower than what he offers in Nigeria. Some of our members even buy from those traders in Lomé and still bring the products back into Nigeria,” Adewole said.
He accused the refinery of deliberately slashing prices whenever rival importers’ cargoes arrived in the country, a move he claimed was designed to distort competition. “Portraying these cuts as patriotic gestures ignores their timing and impact on the market,” he added.
PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, backed DAPPMAN’s position, saying, “Exactly, DAPPMAN said the correct thing. It is true.”
In contrast, the Dangote refinery dismissed the allegations. A spokesman, speaking with Sunday PUNCH, laughed off the claims and linked the criticism to the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which recently accused the refinery of anti-union practices.
“We now know who is behind NUPENG. Our free delivery starts Monday,” the spokesman said.
Adewole, however, described the refinery’s so-called “free delivery” scheme as misleading. He said marketers were still compelled to lift 25 per cent of allocations directly from the refinery’s gantry using only Dangote-owned trucks, at commercial rates, adding further costs to operations.
The importers stressed that while they welcomed the refinery’s contribution—supplying about 30–35 per cent of national demand—it was “not a messiah” and should not undermine the broader ecosystem of marketers who continue to import and distribute products under regulatory oversight.
Meanwhile, Dangote Industries announced it would begin rolling out compressed natural gas-powered trucks on Monday to support its logistics scheme and drive down distribution costs nationwide.
