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The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has cautioned against what it calls a growing one-refinery narrative, warning that framing Nigeria’s downstream stability as reliant solely on the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is misleading and dangerous for the market.
In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, DAPPMAN expressed concern over the escalating dispute between the Dangote Refinery and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), stressing that the fallout could hurt ordinary Nigerians in a post-deregulation environment still finding its footing.
“While we welcome the Dangote Refinery as a major infrastructure project, its contribution currently meets only 30 – 35 percent of national demand.
“The balance is supplied by petroleum product marketers, including our members, who have for decades invested in depots, trucks, retail outlets, and logistics to keep fuel flowing nationwide even through forex crises, insecurity, and subsidy upheavals.”
DAPPMAN also took aim at claims of patriotic price cuts by the refinery, alleging that some reductions were timed to disrupt market stability and impose losses on other importers.
It accused the refinery of offering lower prices to international buyers while charging Nigerian off-takers more, and criticized claims of free delivery, noting that marketers must lift 25 percent of allocations with Dangote-owned trucks at commercial rates.
The association rejected insinuations that its members sell substandard products, emphasizing that all imports pass NMDPRA-accredited quality checks. It further accused the refinery of seeking waivers to distribute high-sulphur products, calling into question its superiority claims.
“Dangote Refinery is a valuable contributor, but it is not a messiah,” the statement declared. “Nigeria’s downstream sector is powered by an ecosystem including; marketers, refiners, depots, and regulators working together under difficult circumstances. Narratives that monopolize credit or undermine others threaten market confidence and investor trust.”
DAPPMAN urged all parties to prioritize constructive engagement, transparency, and regulatory compliance to safeguard market stability and protect consumers.
