Dangote Refinery Loading Bay. Credit: Dangote Refinery

Some fuel importers in Nigeria have accused the Dangote refinery of selling petrol to international traders at N65 per litre cheaper than it offers to Nigerian marketers, sparking fresh controversy in the country’s downstream petroleum sector.

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria confirmed the disparity in separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH, warning that the price gap could stifle competition and undermine the domestic market.

The refinery recently announced plans to cut petrol prices from N865 per litre to N841 in Lagos and the South West, and N851 in Abuja, Edo and Kwara, alongside the launch of its direct fuel distribution scheme.

DAPPMAN’s Allegations
DAPPMAN Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, told Sunday PUNCH that members of the association had purchased Dangote petrol from international traders in Lomé, Togo, at lower prices than what the refinery quoted locally.

“Dangote is selling to international traders at N65 cheaper than what he is selling to us. In some instances, we were able to buy from those people and still bring it to Nigeria,” Adewole said. He accused the refinery of imposing conditions on local marketers that made it unprofitable to lift petrol directly from its facilities.

Adewole also noted that DAPPMAN had repeatedly requested bulk allocations from Dangote but was denied favourable terms. “People will continue to import if the price is cheaper elsewhere,” he added.

Support from Retailers
Billy Gillis-Harry, National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, backed DAPPMAN’s claims, saying, “Exactly, DAPPMAN said the correct thing. It is true. We don’t want to be saying everything. But the way things are going, one day we will say everything.”

A major importer also told Sunday PUNCH that his company refused to buy from Dangote because the margin was not favourable.

Dangote’s Response
A spokesman for the refinery dismissed the allegations, linking them to the ongoing dispute with the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which has accused the refinery of anti-union practices. “We now know who is behind NUPENG. Our free delivery starts Monday,” he said.

Dangote officials questioned when DAPPMAN began sourcing petrol from Lomé, suggesting they previously imported from Russia and Malta. The refinery also announced it would begin rolling out compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks on Monday as part of a logistics-free distribution programme, which it said would cut gantry prices to N820 per litre.

Industry Concerns
DAPPMAN criticised Dangote’s repeated fuel price cuts as strategic moves timed to coincide with other importers’ cargo arrivals, destabilising the market. Adewole said offering lower prices to international buyers while charging local off-takers more contradicted public claims of prioritising Nigerians.

He also disputed the refinery’s “free delivery” narrative, alleging that marketers were required to lift at least 25 per cent of allocations using Dangote-owned trucks at commercial rates, which imposed additional logistical and financial burdens.

While acknowledging the refinery’s role in boosting domestic supply, Adewole stressed that Dangote accounted for only 30–35 per cent of national demand, with the balance supplied by other marketers under strict regulatory oversight.