The Dangote Petroleum Refinery began distributing petrol on Sunday, as trucks from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited loaded the first batch of petrol for nationwide delivery to retailers. The refinery, located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State is expected to significantly boost Nigeria’s fuel supply.
“First set of trucks set for loading of PMS (prime motor spirit) at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery,” the Dangote Group confirmed in a statement. The refinery, which started production on September 3, aims to supply 25 million liters of petrol daily this month, with plans to increase output to 30 million liters in October.
Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, confirmed the commencement of distribution. “All agreements have been completed and loading of the first batch of PMS from the Dangote Refinery will commence on Sunday, September 15,” he said on Saturday.
NNPC will be the exclusive buyer of petrol from the refinery. On Sunday evening, NNPC reported purchasing the product at ₦898 ($0.545) per liter, Dangote Group countered the claim but declined to disclose the actual price. Despite this, NNPC insists on its pricing.
Currently, petrol is selling at over ₦1,000 ($0.61) per liter nationwide, and it is expected to drop given the development.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
