Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stopped selling petrol to some major marketers involved in importing petroleum products into Nigeria. This decision has directly affected Dangote petrol sales in the local market.
According to The PUNCH, a refinery official said the company would no longer supply petrol to marketers. These are marketers it accused of blending Dangote products with imported fuel, impacting Dangote petrol sales among these groups.
“We are not selling petrol to those who are importing, since they are trying to blend our high-quality products with their ultra-low-quality imported products,” the official said.
Refinery favours independent marketers
Another source said the refinery was focusing sales on members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria. It was also focusing on marketers not involved in imports, leading to a shift in Dangote petrol sales strategies.
Dangote had earlier complained that blending its Euro-5 petrol with imported products made it difficult to determine the quality. It also made it hard to determine the origin of fuel eventually sold to consumers.
Marketers reject allegations
Some petroleum marketers criticised the restriction and accused Dangote of attempting to discourage imports. As a consequence, Dangote petrol sales have become a topic of industry discussion.
They also challenged the refinery to provide evidence that imported petrol entering Nigeria failed required quality standards.
IPMAN National Vice Chairman Hamed Fashola said independent marketers generally buy products wherever prices are most competitive.
The development comes amid continuing debate over imports, domestic refining and competition in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
