Dangote Replies NNPC on Crude Oil Supply, Hikes Petrol Prices Nationwide
- Dangote Petroleum Refinery disputed NNPC's claim of full compliance with the naira-for-crude programme
- A senior Dangote Group executive revealed the actual number of crude cargoes the refinery received under the deal
- NNPC had insisted it allocated 100% of available naira-denominated crude cargoes to Dangote Refinery in 2026
Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has pushed back against claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that it fully honoured its commitments under the Federal Government's naira-for-crude programme, saying the national oil company delivered fewer than 25 per cent of the crude cargoes the refinery expected under the arrangement.
A senior executive at the Dangote Group told Petroleumprice.ng that the refinery received only three of the 14 cargoes anticipated under the supply framework.
Source: Facebook
"Out of the 14 cargoes expected under the arrangement, only three were supplied. That is not even up to 25 per cent of the expected volume," the official said.
NNPC's position on crude deliveries
The refinery's response followed a statement from NNPCL spokesman Andy Odeh, who told PUNCH that the company had supplied every available naira-denominated crude cargo to Dangote Refinery and had not withheld any feedstock.
Odeh added that NNPCL allocated 100 per cent of all available naira-denominated crude cargoes to the refinery in 2026, with actual deliveries shaped by crude availability, cargo nominations, and operational scheduling on both sides.
The Dangote executive, however, rejected that framing, arguing the measure of compliance should be the number of cargoes expected under the programme, not those NNPCL deemed available for delivery.
Dangote refinery insists on expected volume as benchmark
The official maintained that the two companies are using different standards to assess whether the arrangement was met.
"The issue is straightforward. The expected cargoes were 14, and only three arrived. That is the position," the executive said.
The disagreement centres on whether NNPCL's deliveries should be judged against the total volume committed under the supply framework or against the crude the national oil company says it had available at the time.
Dangote insists the former is the only relevant measure, while NNPCL's position ties its performance to operational and logistical factors outside the agreed allocation.
The dispute lays bare the deepening rift between the two companies over how the naira-for-crude initiative has been implemented, and whether the volumes supplied were adequate to keep the refinery running at the scale the programme was designed to support.
Source: Getty Images
The development comes as the mega refinery unveiled new petrol prices on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
According to data from PetroleumPriceNG, Dangote Refinery set its petrol prices at $1,161.23 per metric tonne, translating to $16 per litre,
In naira terms, the new rate translates to an ex-gantry price of N2,248 per litre.
Fuel importers announce fresh petrol price hike
Legit.ng earlier reported that petroleum product importers have notified marketers across Nigeria of an impending increase in petrol depot prices, a move that could push pump prices to as high as N1,400 per litre nationwide.
The importers informed marketers on Thursday, July 16, 2026, that the depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, will rise from N1,230 per litre to N1,350 per litre, citing the rising cost of imported fuel cargoes.
According to sources familiar with the development, the new pricing regime is expected to take effect on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Source: Legit.ng
