Independent petroleum marketers say Nigeria’s petrol supply is increasingly coming from the Dangote Refinery, arguing that product availability has improved and imports have effectively paused for now.
In an interview published by Nairametrics, IPMAN spokesperson Chinedu Ukadike said members have been lifting PMS from Dangote without the shortages that typically show up around peak travel periods, adding that price cuts at the refinery level have flowed into retail price reductions.
Ukadike also said Dangote’s direct-to-marketers model is changing access for smaller operators, with the minimum loading volume reportedly reduced from 500,000 litres to 250,000 litres, allowing independent marketers to pool funds and lift product more quickly.
‘’So, you will find out that the supply chain is stable. So, that one, literally, has also cancelled all these accusations and counteraccusations on petrol importation. I don’t think anybody is importing within this period on that regime. Nobody is importing now. I’m sure that nobody is importing. So, all the supplies we are getting now are from Dangote. You know Dangote has also opened up the market for independent marketers,’’ Ukadike said.
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Petrol importation hasn’t stopped?
But other marketers insist imports have not stopped. Retail marketer Edwin Ogah said that cargoes are still arriving, largely as “buffer stock” to avoid scarcity and because local production and distribution are not yet consistent enough nationwide. He cited constraints such as FX access, port congestion, pipeline integrity and trucking costs as factors that can force continued reliance on imports.
The debate follows a jump in recorded import volumes late last year. A report referenced by Punch, citing NMDPRA data, put PMS imports at 1.563 billion litres in November 2025, up from 828 million litres in October 2025.
The spike was linked to reports of pricing disagreements around a pilot offtake arrangement involving major marketers and monthly volumes of 600 million litres, an account Dangote Refinery has rejected, saying no supply arrangement collapsed and that its downstream engagement is designed to improve access and competition.
Dangote Refinery has separately said it can supply 1.5 billion litres of petrol monthly (about 50 million litres per day) for December 2025 and January 2026, with the ability to increase output thereafter, according to multiple reports.
