By Ayomide Otitoju
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has hailed the Dangote Refinery’s newly announced plan to distribute petrol and diesel free of charge to marketers nationwide, describing it as a game-changing intervention in the country’s downstream sector.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, commended Dangote Group Chairman, Aliko Dangote, for proactively addressing key structural challenges within the petroleum supply chain.
“Dangote’s statement is not just a business decision—it’s a strong policy declaration. He identified problems in the oil and gas sector and has chosen to tackle them head-on,” Ukadike said. “This move will bring fuel closer and cheaper to end users, and it’s one we welcome with open arms.”
The initiative, set to commence on August 15, 2025, involves the free transportation of petroleum products to marketers, dealers, and major users across the country using 4,000 newly acquired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers.
Ukadike emphasized that the plan would relieve marketers of the burden of transporting fuel from coastal tank farms, a challenge exacerbated by the non-functionality of Nigeria’s extensive pipeline network.
“Our pipelines have been dormant for years, and marketers have borne the cost of moving products from seaports where DAPMAN members have tank farms,” he noted. “What Dangote has done is lift a heavy burden off independent marketers.”
The announcement has, however, drawn criticism from the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), which argued that the free delivery initiative could undercut depot owners and truck operators with existing fuel distribution arrangements.
But Ukadike dismissed the concerns, insisting that the refinery has the right to choose its distribution strategy. “Dangote is a private entity and can structure his logistics to ensure efficiency and reduce costs for end-users. That’s good for the market,” he asserted.
The Dangote Refinery, located in Lagos, is Africa’s largest single-train refinery and has been touted as a potential game-changer in reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel. With the new distribution strategy, the refinery seeks to streamline product delivery and address persistent bottlenecks in fuel availability across the country.
