The Dangote Refinery has stayed quiet after failing to meet its own August 15, 2025 deadline to begin distributing petrol and diesel across Nigeria.
In June, the company had announced a plan to roll out 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks for fuel distribution, an investment that would cost about ₦720 billion every year.
The refinery also claimed the initiative would save Nigerians about ₦45 per litre in transport costs, which could amount to around ₦1.2 trillion yearly.
Despite these promises, the scheme has received mixed reactions from fuel marketers, retailers, and suppliers, many of whom worry it could negatively affect their businesses.
Nearly two weeks after the expected kickoff, the refinery has not explained why the project has not started.
Aliko Dangote had earlier described the plan as a total transformation of the fuel distribution system in Nigeria, not just a cut in pump prices. He said this after President Bola Tinubu visited the $20 billion refinery in Ibeju Lekki.
Reports earlier in August confirmed that some of the CNG trucks had arrived, but the exact number remains uncertain. Sources suggest that about 1,000 trucks may now be available, up from 450 earlier.
Opinions among industry stakeholders remain divided. Billy Gillis-Harry, President of the Petroleum Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), welcomed the initiative but doubted that it would reduce fuel prices.
He warned that giving one company full control over production, storage, and delivery could create a monopoly, similar to what happened in the cement industry, where prices only went higher.
He urged Dangote Refinery to work closely with other marketers, depot owners, and transport unions to prevent job losses and sector disruption.
On the other hand, Abubakar Maigandi, President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), believes the scheme could reduce fuel costs once it begins.
He argued that removing transport expenses from petrol pricing would make it cheaper for Nigerians.
For now, Dangote Group has not released any official statement about the delay.
Meanwhile, petrol prices in Abuja remain high, ranging between ₦885 and ₦910 per litre. On the international market, crude oil traded at $68.47 for Brent and $64.47 for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) as of Tuesday morning.
