Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) of pressuring it to increase the pump price of petrol and diesel by ₦75 per litre.
According to the refinery, the demand was made to enable marketers to align their depot rates with Dangote’s gantry prices. If implemented, petrol could rise to as high as ₦950 per litre and diesel to about ₦1,090 in some parts of the country.
Dangote explained that while it supplies products to marketers at gantry price, DAPPMAN insists on lifting via coastal logistics—an arrangement that would add ₦75 per litre in extra costs. Based on Nigeria’s daily consumption of 40 million litres of petrol (PMS) and 15 million litres of diesel (AGO), this would translate to an additional annual burden of over ₦1.5 trillion, which the group allegedly wants Dangote to absorb and transfer to Nigerians.
“We have no intention of raising our gantry price to accommodate such demands, nor are we willing to pay a subsidy of over ₦1.5 trillion—a practice that historically defrauded the Federal Government for years,” the refinery said. “DAPPMAN and other marketers are welcome to lift products directly from our gantry and benefit from our logistics-free initiative.”
The refinery claimed that its refusal to comply with the alleged subsidy request is behind recent criticisms from marketers. It maintained that it has sufficient capacity to meet local demand, with a monthly closing stock of about 500 million litres of refined products.
Between June and September, the refinery said it exported 3,229,881 metric tonnes of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, while marketers imported 3,687,828 metric tonnes within the same period—a move Dangote described as “dumping” harmful to the Nigerian economy.
Reaffirming support for President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, the refinery highlighted its contributions to stabilising the naira, cushioning the impact of subsidy removal, positioning Nigeria as a refining hub, and boosting jobs and foreign exchange earnings.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery remains committed to Nigeria’s progress and open to partnerships with patriotic and responsible stakeholders,” it said, stressing that any aggrieved party is free to seek redress through legal channels.
The company added that it would not be swayed by “threats or seven-day ultimatums” and is prepared to defend its position through all legitimate means.