KEY POINTS

• Dangote petrol price set at N739 per litre nationwide.
• MRS begins rollout as enforcement expands.
• Dangote petrol price sparks clash over imports.

Barring any last-minute change, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc and other retail partners of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery are set to begin selling petrol at N739 per litre, following a sharp reduction in wholesale prices by the refinery.

The move comes two days after the refinery cut its gantry price to N699 per litre from N828. Speaking at a press briefing at the Lekki refinery on Sunday, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote said the reduction was meant to flow directly to consumers, but some filling stations had kept pump prices elevated.

Dangote said he was aware that, despite lower gantry prices, certain marketers had refused to adjust retail prices, undermining efforts to ease fuel costs.

Dangote petrol enforcement plan

According to Dangote, MRS stations will begin selling petrol at N739 per litre from Tuesday, starting in Lagos, with other retail partners expected to follow. He alleged that some officials had met with marketers and encouraged them to keep pump prices high to frustrate the reduction.

“I was told that the marketers have met with some officials and were told to make sure that the price is maintained high,” Dangote said. “But this price we are going to introduce, we are going to start with MRS stations, most likely on Tuesday in Lagos. That N970 per litre, you won’t see it again.”

He said the refinery had also invited members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria to purchase directly at the gantry price.

“We have asked anybody who can buy 10 trucks to come and buy 10 trucks at N699,” he said.

Dangote said the group would deploy all available resources to ensure pump prices fall nationwide within days.

“For this December and January, we don’t want people to sell petrol for more than N740 nationwide,” he said. “Those who want to keep the price to sabotage the government, we will fight as much as we can.”

Dangote petrol price dispute deepens

According to Punch, Dangote questioned why pump prices had climbed toward N900 per litre, saying transport costs from the Lekki refinery were no more than N15 per litre within Lagos.

“If it’s N10 to N15, everything is going to cost you N715,” he said. “Why do you want to sell at N900? People should get the real price.”

He also accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of issuing 47 import licences covering more than seven billion litres of petrol for the first quarter of 2026, despite domestic supply commitments from local refiners.

“They are now ready to issue licences for about 7.5 billion litres for the first quarter of 2026, despite the fact that we have guaranteed to supply enough quantity,” Dangote said.

He argued that continued imports were hurting local investments and pushing smaller modular refineries toward collapse.

“Those modular refineries are almost on the verge of collapse,” he said. “None of them is making a dime.”

Dangote said the N739 pump price would be enforced, beginning with MRS stations on Tuesday. He added that trucks could load directly from the refinery at N699 per litre.

Contacted for comment, NMDPRA spokesman George Ene-Ita said, “For now, no comment.”