Oil entrepreneurs have refuted claims that some retail petroleum shops are promoting gas cheaper than the N739 per litre at Dangote Refinery designated filling stations, attributing such experiences to hypothesis.
They stated that aside from MRS filling stations, that are affiliated to Dangote Petroleum Refinery, they don’t suppose another entrepreneurs or retail filling stations are promoting beneath that value.
The entrepreneurs famous that the beneficial value is the key purpose why you see longer queues of autos at MRS filling stations throughout the nation than different stores, as Nigerians want cheaper petroleum merchandise.
Sacrificing margins for market share
In an unique interview with Nairametrics, the Nationwide Publicity Secretary of the Unbiased Petroleum Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, insisted that he doesn’t suppose any marketer is promoting petrol decrease than the worth introduced by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Ukadike stated, ‘’I don’t suppose so. As a result of while you go to any MRS filling station, you will notice a queue. If there may be another one who is promoting decrease than that, you will notice extra queues. Really, Nigerians like low-pricing petroleum merchandise.
‘’Effectively, you understand, that’s investigative journalism now, a few of them are hypothesis by some people who find themselves air-conditioned and resort room writers.
‘’Its not potential (promoting beneath Dangote value). That’s the reason we see that queue, that’s for many who are so affected person sufficient to attend for the queue, for many who are usually not affected person sufficient to attend can go and get at N770, N780 per litre.’’
A retail petrol operator, Edwin Ogah, who acknowledged that he could not have full info on the pricing of those merchandise on the filling stations, nonetheless, revealed that many entrepreneurs are sacrificing margins at this second to keep up market share.
‘’Effectively, I’ll not have the total details about this. However what I can inform you is that many entrepreneurs are sacrificing margins briefly to keep up market share. Nonetheless, this isn’t widespread or sustainable for lengthy, particularly given logistics prices,‘’ Ogah stated.
Worth conflict
A few week in the past, there have been experiences of a value conflict within the downstream sector of the oil business, with claims that some stores have dropped the costs of petrol beneath the N739 per litre earlier introduced by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
It was reported that some filling stations offered petrol at costs starting from N735 per litre, N737 per litre, to N738 per litre.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery had earlier introduced a discount within the gantry value of petrol to N699 per litre from N828 per litre, efficient December 11, 2025.
As a follow-up to this announcement, Aliko Dangote, throughout a press briefing, stated that petrol costs will drop to ₦739 per litre nationwide with preliminary implementation at MRS stations in Lagos, assuring that this shall be enforced.
Nonetheless, some oil entrepreneurs raised alarm over important operational losses as a result of these unstable petrol value drops (particularly from Dangote Refinery), thereby promoting their merchandise beneath price.
Regionally refined petrol has higher high quality
On the controversy round imported petrol, which is alleged to be of low high quality, the oil entrepreneurs identified that petroleum merchandise refined domestically are of higher high quality, particularly as a result of strict regulatory controls.
Ogah stated, ‘’From an business perspective, domestically refined gas is usually of higher and extra constant high quality. Merchandise from refineries like Dangote are produced below strict course of controls and are tailor-made to Nigerian climatic and engine circumstances.
‘’Imported gas, then again, typically comes from a number of sources, and high quality can range relying on the mix, storage circumstances, and transit time. Whereas imported merchandise nonetheless meet regulatory requirements, domestically refined gas tends to burn cleaner, give higher engine efficiency, and scale back upkeep points.’’
Additionally, lending his voice to the dialog, Ukadike stated, ‘’Effectively, for now, I can’t actually be capable to, inside this era below overview, that Dangote has given the unbiased entrepreneurs leverage to purchase immediately from this gantry.
‘’All these issues are gone prior to now. And I additionally consider that some 90% of PMS consumed right here in Nigeria is domestically produced by Dangote. So, the problem of the low-quality gas proper now does not likely come up.’’
Ukadike additionally stated that the problem of oversupply of petroleum merchandise can’t come up by the point different native refineries like BUA and NNPC begin operations. He, nonetheless, famous that the one state of affairs that may come up might be a value conflict among the many oil entrepreneurs, with the surplus merchandise exported to different African international locations.
‘’The problem of oversupply doesn’t come up. You perceive me? Proper. What’s going to come up is that perhaps there shall be a value conflict and sufficiently, they will additionally begin exporting to different African international locations,‘’ the IPMAN Spokesman added.
What you must know
In a associated growth, Nairametrics had in December 2025, reported that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery had decreased the minimal order for petrol from 500,000 litres to 250,000 litres on the gantry value of N699 per litre, permitting extra entrepreneurs to buy immediately from the power.
The oil agency additional acknowledged that each present and new clients can entry a 10-day credit score facility, backed by a financial institution assure, when buying a smaller quantity.
In the meantime, Dangote Petroleum Refinery had urged Nigerians to report any MRS filling stations promoting petrol, at a value above the accredited N739 per litre, noting that the minimize in costs represents a big milestone within the refinery’s mission to ship inexpensive gas to Nigerians and stabilise the downstream petroleum market.
The refinery additionally issued a stern warning towards makes an attempt by “unscrupulous” operators to create synthetic shortage in response to the worth discount, calling on authorities companies to behave decisively.
