The Dangote Refinery has accused the former leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NMDPRA) of approving petrol import licences that pushed volumes beyond domestic demand in November 2025.
A statement by Anthony Chiejina, spokesperson of Dangote refinery, said the spike in imports coincided with licensing decisions by the erstwhile NMDPRA leadership which “sanctioned volumes beyond prevailing domestic demand”.
Chiejina said reports linking the surge in imports to a collapse of supply arrangements between the refinery and marketers were inaccurate.
He said the development had nothing to do with the refinery’s production capacity or its supply commitments to the downstream market.
According to him, Dangote refinery’s participation in petrol supply was deliberately designed to respond to growing demand while improving access, competition and efficiency.
He said supply to marketers began in October 2025 with an agreed offtake of 600 million litres, which rose to 900 million litres in November and later to 1.5 billion litres in December.
Chiejina said the increases reflected market expansion and absorption capacity rather than any dispute over pricing or supply.
He said following market liberalisation, petrol supply was opened to all eligible marketers, bulk consumers and filling station operators.
The refinery said it has, since December 16, 2025, consistently dispatched between 31 million and 48 million litres of petrol daily from its gantry, depending on market demand.
According to the refinery, the dispatch figures are verifiable through depot and loading records maintained under regulatory supervision.
To deepen participation and improve distribution efficiency, the refinery said it reduced the minimum purchase requirement from two million litres to 250,000 litres and introduced a 10-day credit window backed by bank guarantees.
The refinery also rejected claims that marketers exited due to pricing issues, saying its ex-gantry prices remain competitive, market-driven and aligned with import parity benchmarks and regulatory standards.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has also opposed the continued importation of petrol into the country.
The association denied reports suggesting that the November 2025 import surge was caused by a breakdown in supply arrangements between Dangote refinery and marketers.
Abubakar Garima, national president of IPMAN, said the reports did not reflect the experience of its members across the country.
Garima said, “Since supply began, marketers have consistently lifted products without any complaints,” while reaffirming the association’s support for the refinery.
“We oppose continued importation because Dangote Refinery has the capacity to meet the country’s entire PMS demand,” he added.
Garima said IPMAN members were satisfied with the reliability of supply and welcomed the refinery’s commitment to delivering products directly to filling stations.