Rift Between Dangote Refinery And Marketers Deepens As Petrol Importation Rises

Another wave of petrol importation into the country has made the rift between oil marketers and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to linger, amid signs of deepening tensions in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.

This rift deepened after independent oil marketers resumed large-scale importation of petrol, as data shows that over 496.17 million litres of petrol were brought into the country within nine days.

Two weeks ago, the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, declared that his $20bn refinery was still “fighting for survival”. The remarks were triggered by the continued importation of petrol and the reluctance of major marketers to buy in bulk from the refinery, despite its increased production capacity and improved output of petroleum products.

He stated at an event that the battle with entrenched oil cabals, one that began even before the refinery commenced full operations, was still ongoing.

His fears now seem to be confirmed, as fuel imports have surged significantly in recent weeks. Using the Tanker Position Report, a document that tracks oil tankers’ movement which was obtained from Blue Sea Maritime by newsmen on Monday, revealed that a total of 370,000 metric tonnes of petrol were discharged at various depots. These products berthed at sea ports between May 11 and 20, 2025.

Going by the conversion rate of 1,341 litres to one metric tonne, it, therefore, implies that the marketers utilising scarce foreign exchange brought in about 496.17 million litres of petrol within the period.

With an average landing cost of N879.48 per litre, importers may have spent a total sum of N436.37bn on PMS imports. This is in addition to N2.42tn spent in 70 days between March 1 and May 9, 2025, and N4.51tn spent on the same purpose between October 2024 and February 2025