Dangote petrol price cut sees MRS stations begin sales at ₦739 per litre as the refinery moves to force nationwide compliance
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and its retail partners are set to begin selling petrol at ₦739 per litre, in a decisive move aimed at forcing down pump prices nationwide.
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The development comes two days after the refinery reduced its petrol gantry price from ₦828 to ₦699 per litre.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Lekki refinery on Sunday, the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said the new pump price would take effect from Tuesday, beginning with MRS filling stations in Lagos.
He said other retail partners would follow as supply expands over the coming days.
Dangote accused some marketers of deliberately keeping pump prices high despite lower gantry costs, describing the practice as a deliberate attempt to sabotage price reductions.
According to him, certain officials had allegedly encouraged marketers to maintain inflated prices to frustrate the refinery’s intervention in the fuel market.
Dangote said the refinery would deploy all available resources to enforce the new pricing regime and ensure petrol does not sell above ₦740 per litre nationwide during December and January.
He said any marketer with the capacity to lift up to 10 trucks could purchase petrol directly from the refinery at ₦699 per litre.
Dangote questioned why pump prices should rise to ₦900 per litre when transportation costs from the refinery within Lagos range between ₦10 and ₦15 per litre.
He said the total cost should not exceed ₦715 per litre, insisting that Nigerians deserved access to the real price of petrol.
The billionaire businessman also accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of undermining local refining by issuing 47 import licences for over seven billion litres of petrol in the first quarter of 2026.
He said the move had left refinery storage tanks full and threatened the survival of local and modular refineries.
Dangote dismissed claims of monopoly, arguing that no operator had been prevented from investing in refining or acquiring existing facilities.
He said most modular refineries were close to collapse and currently operating at a loss.
Dangote assured Nigerians that the ₦739 per litre pump price would be enforced, starting with MRS stations on Tuesday.
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Contacted for reaction, the spokesman of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Mr George Ene-Ita, declined to comment.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
