DAPPMAN Urges Dangote Refinery to Ensure Affordable, Accessible Fuel Supply

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has called on the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to make petroleum products more accessible to marketers and to ensure they are sold at fair prices.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, the association’s spokesperson, Ikem Ohia, said marketers were not in conflict with the refinery but only sought a transparent arrangement that would guarantee steady supply and end fuel queues nationwide.

“Our key interest is to have petroleum products offered at reasonable prices consistently, in a way that there’s no stock-out and Nigerians no longer queue for fuel,” Ohia said.

While acknowledging the refinery’s role as the dominant supplier, he stressed that access and pricing remained the main concerns. DAPPMAN also urged Dangote to take advantage of its existing distribution network, with depots spread across Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar, to ease supply bottlenecks.

Rejecting claims that marketers were lobbying for subsidies, Ohia explained that the association only wanted a fair bulk-supply system, in line with global refinery practices. “Ideally, refineries emphasise bulk evacuation through off-takers who can lift massive quantities. Relying solely on retail gantry sales cannot meet national demand,” he noted.

The remarks come amid debate over Dangote’s distribution model. The refinery recently invested in 4,000 CNG-powered trucks to transport fuel across the country, a move some marketers say could give it too much control of the downstream sector.

Business mogul Femi Otedola has advised marketers to adapt to the changing market, even suggesting that DAPPMAN consider taking over the Port Harcourt Refinery rather than opposing Dangote’s approach. Meanwhile, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) argued that 4,000 trucks are insufficient to meet nationwide demand.

Dangote Refinery has denied claims that it enjoys subsidies, describing DAPPMAN’s figure of over ₦1.5 trillion as “false and unfounded.” The company insists its products are sold strictly based on production costs and regulated margins, adding that logistics remain the responsibility of marketers since fuel subsidies were scrapped in May 2023.