The recent drop in diesel prices at Dangote Refinery has sparked complaints from petroleum product marketers in Nigeria, who have reached out to President Bola Tinubu about the negative effects on their businesses. The refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone, has seen diesel prices fall from N1,200 to N900 per litre.
This reduction has led to decreased local demand, with the refinery reportedly selling only about 29 tankers of diesel per day locally and exporting the majority of its diesel and aviation fuel.
Dangote Industries Vice President, Devakumar Edwin, noted that if local dealers continue to avoid purchasing from the refinery, exports will remain the primary focus.
“We have been exporting aviation fuel, we have been producing kerosene, we have been producing diesel, but yesterday, we started the production of PMS. So, that was the last stage. The only thing now left out is petrochemicals.”

“So, the good news for the country is we have started producing PMS from our refinery,” he had said on a radio programme.

Asked if the petrol would be sold locally, Edwin replied, “Well, I explained how there has been a kind of a blockade from lifting our products within the country. The traders have been trying to block (it), and so now we have been exporting our petroleum products. PMS, we are ready to pump in as much as possible to the country.

“But if the traders or NNPC are not buying the product, obviously, we will end up exporting the PMS as we are doing with the aviation jet and diesel,” Edwin declared.