Dangote Petroleum Refinery has blamed the former management of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NMDPRA) for approving petrol import licences that pushed supply beyond Nigeria’s domestic demand in November 2025.

The refinery was reacting to claims that petrol imports spiked during the period due to a pricing disagreement between marketers and the refinery, allegedly resulting in a breakdown of their business relationship.

However, in a statement released on Friday, the refinery’s spokesperson, Mr Anthony Chiejina, dismissed suggestions that any supply arrangement with marketers had collapsed.

He explained that the sharp rise in petrol imports recorded in November 2025 coincided with import permits issued by the previous NMDPRA leadership, which he said authorised volumes in excess of the country’s prevailing consumption levels.

Dangote Refinery stressed that the development was unrelated to its output capacity or its ability to meet supply obligations. According to the refinery, its entry into the downstream petroleum market was deliberately designed to accommodate growing demand while enhancing access, competition and overall efficiency in the sector.

It noted that product supply to marketers began in October 2025 with an agreed offtake of 600 million litres of petrol. This figure was increased to 900 million litres in November and later expanded to 1.5 billion litres in December.

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The refinery said the incremental adjustments reflected market expansion and the sector’s capacity to absorb additional volumes.

Following the liberalisation of the market, Dangote Refinery said it opened petrol supply to all qualified marketers, bulk buyers and filling station operators.

It added that from December 16, 2025, daily loadings from its gantry have ranged between 31 million and 48 million litres, depending on market demand, with records available for verification through depots and regulatory monitoring systems.

In a bid to widen access and improve distribution efficiency, the refinery said it reduced the minimum purchase requirement from two million litres to 250,000 litres and introduced a 10-day credit facility supported by bank guarantees.

The refinery also rejected assertions that marketers pulled out due to pricing issues, insisting that its ex-gantry prices are competitive, market-based, aligned with import parity benchmarks and fully compliant with regulatory and quality standards.

Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has reiterated its opposition to the continued importation of petrol into the country.

The association also refuted reports linking the November 2025 increase in petrol imports to a collapse in supply arrangements between Dangote Refinery and marketers.

According to IPMAN, such reports did not reflect the experience of its members in the market. Speaking on the matter, IPMAN’s National President, Mr Abubakar Garima, said marketers remained firmly supportive of the refinery.

“Since supply commenced, our members have consistently lifted products without any complaints,” Mr Garima said.

He added that IPMAN opposed ongoing petrol imports, noting that Dangote Refinery had sufficient capacity to meet Nigeria’s total PMS requirements.

Garima further said marketers were satisfied with the reliability of supply and welcomed the refinery’s plan to deliver products directly to filling stations.

Dangote’s earlier allegations

In December 2025, President of Dangite Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, had come up with serious allegations against former NMDPRA CEO, Mr Farouk Ahmed, accusing him of graft.

At a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Mr Dangote had said the NMDPRA chief was colluding with international traders and oil importers to frustrate local refining through the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products.

Mr Dangote alleged that Mr Ahmed was living beyond his legitimate means, claiming that four of his children were attending secondary schools in Switzerland at costs running into several million dollars.

Africa’s richest man noted that he was not calling for Mr Ahmed’s removal, but for a proper investigation to be done by relevant agencies of the government. “He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage,” Dangote said.

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He subsequently filed a petition against Mr Ahmed, accusing him of corruption. In the petition, dated and submitted on December 16 through his lawyer, Mr Ogwu Onoja (SAN), Mr Dangote asked the ICPC to arrest, investigate and prosecute Mr Ahmed for living far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant and paying $7 million for his children’s school fees abroad.

The petition, which was acknowledged by ICPC Chairman, Mr Musa Aliyu (SAN), read: “That Engr Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, in doing enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of Public funds running into millions of dollars.

“That Engr Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over 7 million dollars of Public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront.”

“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, can investigate the matter. If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments made by Farouk.

“I sent my own children to secondary schools here in Nigeria. How many Nigerians can afford to pay $5 million for secondary school tuition, not university education? In his home state of Sokoto, many parents are struggling to pay as little as N10,000 in school fees,” Dangote alleged. He has since filed a case against the ousted NMDPRA chief at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It is not clear how Mr Komolafe got involved in the whole situation.