Dangote Refinery vs Marketers: Tension as Fresh Dispute Brews Over Price Slashing
- DAPPMAN has criticised Dangote Refinery’s planned petrol price cuts, saying the move disrupts competition and unfairly strains local marketers
- It alleged that the refinery sells to international buyers at lower rates while charging Nigerians more, contradicting claims of prioritising domestic consumers
- The association also stressed that Dangote only meets 35% of national demand, while its members continue to ensure a steady fuel supply nationwide
Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology, Banking and the Economy.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has opposed Dangote Refinery’s plan to cut petrol prices, describing the move as disruptive to the market.
Dangote Refinery had announced that from Monday, pump prices would drop to N841 per litre in Lagos and the South-West, and N851 per litre in Abuja, Edo, and Kwara, alongside the launch of its direct fuel distribution scheme.
Source: UGC
Fuel marketers accuse Dangote of unfair pricing
In a statement issued on Saturday, DAPPMAN’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, criticised the refinery for presenting its price cuts as acts of patriotism.
He argued that the timing of these reductions was deliberately targeted to coincide with periods when other importers had shipments either en route or in storage, creating price shocks that destabilised competition and placed financial pressure on other market players, including Dangote’s own local customers.
Adewole further alleged that the refinery often sold to international buyers at lower prices while quoting higher rates for Nigerian offtakers.
This, he said, contradicted its public claims of prioritising Nigerians and unfairly burdened local businesses already grappling with slim margins.
Dangote not sole stabiliser of the sector
Regarding the refinery’s ongoing dispute with the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the association expressed concern about the rising tension and warned that the crisis could have serious consequences for ordinary Nigerians, particularly in the downstream sector, which is still adjusting to deregulation.
DAPPMAN stressed that portraying the refinery as the sole stabiliser of Nigeria’s downstream sector was misleading.
According to Adewole, Dangote’s output only accounts for 30–35% of the country’s petrol demand, with the bulk still supplied by licensed marketers, including DAPPMAN members, under the supervision of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He noted that for decades, petroleum marketers had ensured a consistent nationwide fuel supply by investing heavily in depots, trucks, retail networks, and logistics, often under difficult conditions such as forex shortages, subsidy changes, insecurity, and economic downturns.
Source: Facebook
Dangote challenges NUPENG
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Dangote Refinery has challenged NUPENG to expose those responsible for the alleged $18 billion wasted on government-owned refineries
The company questioned why the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries remain inactive despite years of huge investments in turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation projects.
Dangote further urged Nigerians to demand accountability for the massive funds reportedly wasted.
Source: Legit.ng
