The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stopped supplying petrol to major petroleum marketers that continue to import fuel into Nigeria, escalating an ongoing dispute over the quality and sourcing of petroleum products.
A refinery official confirmed the development, saying the decision was taken because some marketers were allegedly combining petrol purchased from Dangote with imported products before distributing the fuel to consumers.
According to the official, the refinery is concerned that blending its locally refined petrol with imported products could make it difficult to distinguish between fuel supplied directly by Dangote and products subsequently mixed or handled by third parties.
The refinery had previously warned that such practices could affect the reputation and traceability of its products.
Independent marketers prioritized
With the new policy, Dangote Refinery is reportedly giving preference to members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and other marketers not known to be importing petrol.
An industry source said the refinery was now focusing its petrol sales on marketers that source their products domestically rather than importing competing supplies.
The development follows Dangote’s earlier warning that it could stop dealing with marketers who continued to import petrol while purchasing products from the refinery.
Marketers challenge decision
Fuel importers and some petroleum marketers have criticized the decision, describing it as an attempt to restrict petrol imports.
Some marketers argued that Dangote should not determine whether buyers can combine its products with fuel sourced from other suppliers.
They also challenged the refinery to provide evidence that imported petrol entering the Nigerian market fails to meet the required quality standards.
One marketer compared the situation to motorists purchasing petrol from different filling stations, arguing that consumers routinely buy products from different suppliers without one supplier dictating what they can subsequently purchase.
