Fresh controversy has trailed the Dangote Refinery’s fuel pricing as petroleum importers allege that the company offers petrol to international buyers in Lomé, Togo, at rates cheaper than what Nigerian marketers are charged.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) confirmed that Dangote’s pricing template places Nigerian operators at a disadvantage, with a margin of about N65 per litre.
The refinery last week slashed its petrol price from N865 to N841 per litre in Lagos and the South-West, and N851 in Abuja, Edo and Kwara. The move coincided with the launch of its direct distribution scheme, expected to begin on Monday.
But DAPPMAN’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, accused the refinery of undercutting local players while extending discounts abroad.
“Dangote sells to international traders at N65 cheaper than what he offers in Nigeria. How else do you explain our members buying the same fuel back from middlemen who purchased directly from him in Togo?” Adewole asked.
He further alleged that the refinery strategically cut prices whenever rival importers had cargoes at sea, thereby destabilising the market.
The National President of PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, backed DAPPMAN’s position, insisting that the disparity was real.
“Exactly, DAPPMAN said the correct thing. Fuel is cheaper in Lomé than in Nigeria. The truth is glaring,” Gillis-Harry stated.
In a swift response, a spokesperson for Dangote Refinery dismissed the claims as “baseless,” insisting that its interventions aimed to make fuel cheaper for Nigerians.
“Our free delivery programme begins Monday, with gantry prices dropping to N820 per litre. Those pushing this narrative are simply unhappy with competition,” the spokesman said.
He also hinted that some marketers might be behind the recent face-off between the refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, which had accused Dangote of anti-union practices.
DAPPMAN, however, faulted the refinery’s claim of free delivery, saying marketers were compelled to lift part of their allocations directly from the refinery gantry using only Dangote-owned trucks, which attracted extra costs.
Adewole stressed that placing Nigeria’s downstream stability on one refinery was dangerous, noting that Dangote’s current output meets only about 35 per cent of the country’s demand.
“Marketers remain critical to bridging the supply gap. This lopsided pricing arrangement only worsens an already fragile market,” he warned.
