The Federal Government has moved to avert a fuel supply crisis, assuring Nigerians that there will be no disruption in the availability of petroleum products despite disputes involving the Dangote Refinery.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Finance said the Steering Committee of the Domestic Crude Oil and Refined Products Sales in Local Currency Initiative, chaired by Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, had resolved concerns surrounding the suspension of the Naira-for-crude oil deal.
The government stressed that the crude-for-naira arrangement would continue and that disputes involving the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery were being urgently addressed.
The meeting was attended by senior government officials, including Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji, representatives of the NNPCL, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Afreximbank, and Dangote Refinery. The government reiterated that Nigerians should not expect fuel scarcity or price instability.
Tensions escalated last week after the Dangote Refinery suspended petrol sales in naira, citing the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocation. The refinery later announced a reversal of the suspension after the committee’s intervention, confirming that sales in naira had resumed.
The dispute also drew in PENGASSAN, which accused Dangote Refinery of unlawfully dismissing over 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with more than 2,000 foreign nationals. The union directed members to begin a nationwide strike from Sunday, threatening a total shutdown of oil and gas operations.
PENGASSAN’s National Executive Council insisted that the strike would continue until the dismissed workers were reinstated, though government intervention may lead to a suspension of the action.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to energy security, consumer protection, and stability in the domestic petroleum market, pledging continued engagement with stakeholders to prevent further disruptions.