By Ayomide Otitoju
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has questioned the rationale behind the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) selling petrol sourced from the Dangote Refinery at a higher price than imported fuel. IPMAN National Welfare Officer, John Kekeocha, expressed this concern during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.
Kekeocha remarked, “If NNPC is selling Dangote products higher than imported ones, then it doesn’t make sense. What is the celebration we’ve been having all this while?”
On Sunday, the NNPCL began lifting petrol from the Dangote Refinery, stating it obtained the product at ₦898 per litre. However, prior to this, NNPCL outlets in Lagos sold imported petrol for around ₦855 per litre. The new price for Dangote petrol is now ₦950 per litre in Lagos and ₦1,019 in Borno.
The Dangote Refinery has denied selling petrol to the NNPCL at ₦898 per litre. Refinery spokesperson Anthony Chiejina, in a statement issued late Sunday, called NNPCL’s claim “misleading and mischievous.” He clarified that sales were made in dollars, offering significant savings compared to imported fuel.
NNPCL stood by its claim, challenging the refinery to release its official pricing and providing a detailed breakdown of Dangote petrol prices at its filling stations across Nigeria.
The Dangote Refinery, which began operations in December 2023 with a capacity of 350,000 barrels per day, aims to reach its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day by year’s end. It has already started supplying diesel and aviation fuel alongside petrol.
Nigeria, heavily dependent on imported refined products due to its non-operational state-owned refineries, has seen petrol prices triple since the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, with prices rising from ₦200 to over ₦1,000 per litre. Fuel queues and high prices continue to burden citizens, many of whom rely on petrol for vehicles and generators amid chronic electricity shortages.
