Nigerian petroleum marketers are raising concerns about the nation’s reliance on Dangote Refinery to meet its daily petrol needs. According to Billy Gillis-Harry, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association (PETROAN), the refinery’s current production levels are insufficient to supply the entire country’s fuel demands.

Speaking about recent developments, Gillis-Harry highlighted that Dangote Refinery is producing around 25 million liters of petrol daily. However, Nigeria consumes about 50 million liters every day, based on data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. This leaves a significant gap that cannot be covered by local production alone.

The situation came into focus when the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently announced new petrol prices for Dangote Refinery’s products. The prices are expected to rise sharply, ranging between N950 and N1,019.22 per liter. This price hike, combined with the limited supply, has led marketers to conclude that Nigeria will still need to import petrol to meet the demand.

Gillis-Harry emphasized that NNPCL has historically imported large quantities of petrol to distribute across Nigeria. He pointed out that the country cannot depend solely on Dangote Refinery to meet its fuel needs, and continued imports are necessary to avoid shortages.

This issue also follows a disagreement between NNPCL and Dangote Refinery over the price of petrol, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.