The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have stated that marketers have temporarily halted loading petrol at the Dangote refinery.
IPMAN’s Western Zone Chairman, Oyewole Akanni, verified the situation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He explained that the Dangote refinery’s decision to pause gantry loading operations drove fuel marketers to source petrol from private depots at drastically inflated rates.
Akanni also added that this pricing instability led numerous station owners to pause fresh bulk orders, forcing several retail outlets to shut down operations temporarily.
He said, “The non-availability of fuel at some filling stations and the closure of others are due to fluctuations in the price of lifting fuel from depots,” he said.
“Since Dangote Refinery stopped selling PMS about four days ago, private depot owners have increased their prices.
“Many filling stations that have exhausted their stock are waiting to see whether prices will come down when Dangote refinery resumes sales or increase further.”
An IPMAN official noted that the current market volatility has left only a handful of distributors willing to buy petrol.
However, he emphasized that national reserves remain adequate, urging motorists and the public to refrain from panic buying.
Also speaking on the development, the zonal chairman added that the Dangote refinery halted sales without issuing prior warning or providing an official explanation to fuel marketers.
Akanni stated that four truckloads of petrol intended for his outlets had remained in the refinery since loading was suspended.
“I was supposed to have received four truckloads of PMS since four days ago, but that has not happened because the trucks are at the Dangote refinery, which has not been selling,” he said.
“The company is not even loading its own trucks. They are all parked there.”
Backstory…
The suspension follows the Dangote Refinery’s unexpected halt in the loading of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) about four days ago, a move that IPMAN says was carried out without prior notice or any official explanation.
According to the association, marketers who had already positioned trucks at the refinery have been unable to lift products, forcing many to suspend fresh purchases while awaiting clarity on when loading will resume. IPMAN says even trucks belonging to the refinery have remained idle, creating uncertainty across the downstream petroleum market.
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