Dangote Refinery Ends Imports with 65mn Litres Daily Petrol Supply
By Patience Ikpeme
Nigeria has reached a major turning point in its quest to stop importing petrol, as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals announced it will now supply between 60 and 65 million litres of fuel every day to the Nigerian market.
This massive volume of petrol is more than enough to meet the country’s daily needs, which usually fall between 50 and 60 million litres. This means that for the first time in decades, Nigeria will have extra fuel to sell to other countries, with the refinery planning to export up to 20 million litres of surplus petrol daily.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, shared this news in Lagos, explaining that the refinery has finished signing agreements with several major oil marketing companies to make sure the fuel reaches every corner of the country.
“We have agreed an offtake framework to supply up to 65 million litres daily for the domestic market,” Dangote said. He added that “Any surplus, estimated at between 15 and 20 million litres, will be exported.”
To ensure that the fuel is distributed fairly and to stop the long queues at filling stations, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has approved a list of major companies to handle the petrol. These include NNPC Retail, MRS, TotalEnergies, Mobil (11 plc), Conoil, Ardova, Rainoil, and several others like Bovas, AA Rano, and Shafa. This new plan is expected to stop middle-men from hoarding fuel or causing artificial scarcity.
For many years, Nigeria—despite being a big oil producer—spent billions of dollars buying petrol from abroad. This often led to fuel shortages whenever there were problems with shipping or the exchange rate. Now that the fuel is being made here at home, the country will save those billions of dollars, which will help make the Naira stronger and stabilize the economy.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bayo Bashir Ojulari, described the refinery as a source of national pride after a recent visit to the site. He said the facility is doing even better than anyone expected.
“This plant was designed for 650,000 barrels per day. None of us thought it would even touch 550,000. What we saw live today was 661,000. These are live parameters, not reports or photographs,” Ojulari said.
He noted that the refinery is a “transformative national asset” that will change Nigeria’s energy future and help the country’s industries grow much faster. With the plant running at full speed, Nigerians can look forward to a more reliable supply of petrol and a stronger national economy.
