The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG has again hailed the launch of Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s direct distribution of premium motor spirit (PMS) and automotive gas oil (AGO) to retailers throughout Nigeria, saying the intervention signals a significant transformation for the Nigerian downstream petroleum industry.
The branch also cautioned the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and NUPENG to stop sounding the misleading and erroneous alarm that Dangote’s free products distribution and supply to retailers would be unsustainable or could undermine and eliminate other independent transporters who are in the country’s petroleum distribution network.
This disclosure was made known on Thursday September 25, 2025 by Comrade Obi-Dede Wonder on behalf of PTD elders in Port Harcourt while delivering a keynote address to round off a two-day workshop organized by some freight forwarders and logistics merchants in Rivers State capital.
His words, “Dangote is only consolidating on the breakthrough made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he completely cut down the feathers of the petroleum subsidy profiteers. Dangote has revolutionized the downstream sector which is also an encouragement for more local and international investors to pitch their tents with the ongoing progress in the oil and gas sector. This Dangote’s new delivery policy which involves a fleet of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks delivering directly to petrol stations, industrial firms, and other large consumers is a feat that should be vehemently applauded.
“Infact we should be grateful to Mr. President, he is truly a visionary leader, he helped us to completely eradicate corruption in the petroleum industry. It is on record that the removal of the petrol subsidy by the President ended a historic financial drain that cost Nigeria over $84bn and has helped finance 40 critical road projects across the country in two years. So, those who are criticizing Dangote’s approach and methodology in running his business to bring a lease of life to Nigerians are those who no longer benefit from the proceeds of subsidy who have drained Nigerians to their bone marrow for over a decade and the chief beneficiaries are NARTO and NUPENG.
“How can any right thinking person be opposed to the positive change or the new normal which Dangote has patriotically brought to the industry? Such individuals could only be playing the card of an economic saboteur. Watching NARTO President Yusuf Othman speak on national television was a show of shame and total embarrassment to our country. He spoke off points and he had no understanding of the Petroleum Industry Act and how market forces are expected to dictate the affairs of the very sensitive and volatile country’s energy sector.
“He made a fool of himself by allowing some renegades in NUPENG especially the President, General Secretary, and the National Trustee to use him to score cheap propaganda that lacks substance and logic. Othman should be corrected that no one is bypassing transporters, this is now a market of willing buyer and free seller. Fueling stations and telecom operators are not complaining, they are happy with Dangote and more importantly, they are supporting Dangote’s zeal for energy efficiency and security in the country which is making their businesses flourish. Dangote’s delivery system is sustainable and reliable. The trucks are eco-friendly and not like the ones deployed by NARTO that are rickety, smoky, and have often failed minimum safety standards and pose serious risks to both public safety and public health.
“For years, independent petroleum marketers with their collaborators, NARTO and NUPENG, were behind product supply bottlenecks, exorbitant depot charges, and erratic product availability. And in worse cases they even encouraged product smuggling outside the shores of Nigeria. However Dangote’s direct distribution model now bypasses all these economically-toxic hurdles, allowing marketers especially those in underdeveloped rural areas to access products at competitive rates.
“Dangote the real game-changer for the industry is here to stay for the greater good of Nigeria. Before, Nigerians had to deal with multiple middlemen, delays, and high costs. Now, stakeholders in the value chain can order directly from Dangote and get deliveries faster. Similarly, rural fuel stations, often neglected by major distributors due to logistical challenges, stand to gain significantly. Dangote’s approach includes deploying smaller, more efficient trucks to reach remote locations, thereby ensuring steady supply and reducing fuel scarcity in these areas.
“Manufacturers and other industrial players who rely heavily on diesel and petrol for operations are set to benefit from Dangote’s bulk supply model. By eliminating intermediaries, factories can secure fuel at lower costs, reducing operational expenses. As we all know industries in Nigeria spend billions annually on diesel alone, but today Dangote has changed the narrative, he now supplies directly at better prices, and this will ease production costs and potentially boost Nigeria’s manufacturing output.
“As this new distribution model is succeeding in cutting out middlemen and inefficiencies; consumers would stand to see lower fuel prices in the long run. NARTO should wake up to the new reality which cannot be reversed due to the rants by some disgruntled, greedy, and callous businessmen; they cannot hold our dear country hostage under the guise of unionism; or blackmailing President Tinubu, industry regulators, and the ministry of Labour and Employment at the expense of ordinary Nigerians who have been impoverished over the years by the activities of these same subsidy profiteers,” Comrade Obi-Dede stated.