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Marketers Distribute 25 Million Litres Dangote Diesel

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Independent marketers have lifted and distributed over 25 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in less than three months after the plant started releasing AGO to the market.

It was also gathered on Saturday that the registration of oil marketers with the $20bn firm was still ongoing, as more dealers register with the plant ahead of its readiness to push out Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, into the domestic market in July.

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Marketers are also ready to begin PMS distribution from the plant.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, and Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria confirmed the registration of their members with the Lagos-based refinery.

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They also confirmed the continued lifting of diesel from the facility, stating that this has stabilised the price of the commodity and ensured its adequate supply since the commencement of production in March this year.

Diesel price crashed from about N1,800/litre to N1,200/litre after Dangote refinery released the product into the Nigerian market late March 2024, and since then the product’s availability has been guaranteed across the country.

Commenting on the stability of diesel price and its availability since Dangote started production, as well as the registration of marketers with the refinery, the National Public Relations Officer, IPMAN, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, told our correspondent that over 25 million litres of AGO from the plant had been distributed by IPMAN members nationwide.

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“Independent marketers are registering with Dangote, and many of us have lifted a lot of product from Dangote’s depot. I’m aware of so many marketers who have registered with the Dangote refinery.

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“I can also confirm that independent marketers have loaded over 25 million litres of diesel since the refinery started the domestic sale of diesel to downstream oil sector operators in Nigeria,” Ukadike stated.

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On April 2, 2024, oil marketers revealed that the Dangote refinery had commenced the sale of diesel to the domestic market.

Dealers and officials of the plant also confirmed the development at the time, as they explained that the plant actually started diesel sales the previous week.

They started pumping out diesel to marketers since last week. They also promised to sell aviation fuel soon. Some of my members confirmed this to me after making a purchase,” the National President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, had told our correspondent at the time.

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Maigandi had also stated that the move by Dangote would lead to a crash in diesel price, as the commodity rose to a high of about N1,700/litre at the time.

The price of diesel is going to fall because of the release of products from Dangote Refinery. In fact, it is already coming down in Lagos,” Maigandi had stated.

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This eventually happened after Dangote crashed diesel price to N1,200/litre.

Although officials of the Dangote refinery have remained silent on issues about the plant, dealers stated on Saturday that the marketers were anxiously awaiting the release of petrol from the plant, with the hope that this may crash the cost of the commodity.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Appoints New Budget Office DG

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“Marketers are loading more products from the plant and are eager to begin the lifting of PMS from the refinery, since the Chairman of the group has said that PMS should hit the market in July,” Ukadike stated.

He added, “I must say that it is a good thing to know that PMS is being finalised for release from that plant. This is because since Dangote diesel came into the market the price of diesel has not crossed the N1,200/litre mark.

“Independent marketers even in far away northern states are selling diesel at N1,200/litre at the pumps. So the coming of Dangote has slowed down the skyrocketing price of diesel. Now we are expecting PMS by July and this will end the importation of petroleum products.”

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Naira Continues To Appreciate Against Dollar On Official Market

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The naira continued its appreciation against the dollar at the foreign exchange market on Tuesday.

Accordingly, the naira strengthened further to N1,533.18 against the dollar on Tuesday, from N1,534.21 traded the previous day.

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This represents a gain of N1.03 against the dollar on a day-to-day basis and marks the second consecutive day of appreciation at the official FX market.

READ ALSO:Woman Arrested For Killing, Selling Pregnant Nurse’s Body Parts

Meanwhile, on the black market, the naira depreciated further to N1,545 per dollar on Tuesday from N1,537 traded on Monday.

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Recall that the naira had similarly closed Monday’s trading session with mixed sentiments, recording gains at the official market but depreciating at the parallel market.

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Dangote Refinery Gets New CEO

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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, the former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its new Chief Executive Officer.

A report by S&P global on Friday said, Bird heads the refinery’s petroleum and petrochemicals division in a strategic move to overcome production challenges and advance its next wave of expansion.

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Effective from July 2025, the former Shell head of operations at its Balau Pokom refinery stepped in as CEO of the Dangote Group’s fuels and petrochemicals business, which commissioned the world’s largest single-train refinery last year.

Our correspondent also observed that the CEO participated at the just concluded Dangote Leadership Development Program Graduation Ceremony.

The appointment signals the company’s renewed focus on scaling production, streamlining operations, and positioning itself as a dominant force in Africa’s refining and petrochemical landscape.

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READ ALSO:Dangote Cement Gets New Chairman As Aliko Dangote Retires

The report read, “Nigeria’s Dangote Group has appointed the former head of Oman’s Duqm refinery as CEO of its petroleum and petrochemicals business as it strives to overcome production challenges and advance its next wave of expansion.”

It, however, noted that the Dangote Group founder Aliko Dangote, will remain as chairman of the refining business and CEO of the wider conglomerate, which is also active in cement, fertilizers and sugar refining.

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The business is expected to tap Bird’s experience expanding the Duqm refinery and diversifying its crude slate as CEO of OQ8, a role he adopted months before the Omani complex began its first test runs in 2023.

Commenting on his appointment, Bird said his focus at Dangote will involve advancing the group’s footprint beyond the Nigerian market and across the African continent.

As CEO of the refining business, he will be responsible for ensuring maximum output and efficiency for the refinery, and aims to make the group a leader in the global market, a LinkedIn update noted.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Dangote Refinery Hikes Petrol Ex-depot Price

The appointment comes after a string of unit upsets and “design issues” that have stalled the ramp-up process of the 650,000-b/d refinery, while its leadership has called out a hostile business environment for challenging its operations.

Since it was commissioned in January 2024, Dangote has quickly grown its market share in the Nigerian fuel sector, displacing large volumes of gasoline imports that the country once relied on.

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However, Aliko Dangote has railed against “rent-seeking” trade partners and substandard fuel imports for putting strain on the business.

In a previous interview with Platts, Bird emphasised a trading-led approach to achieve a competitive edge in the refining sector, with a focus on high utilisation rates, efficiency and feedstock flexibility.

His approach aligns with a recent shift from the Dangote complex to process a wider range of crude grades, partially spurred by limited availability of the Nigerian oil it was designed to process.

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READ ALSO:World Bank Appoints Africa’s Richest Man, Dangote

However, the Nigerian refinery is still obliged to sell fixed volumes of its oil products into the domestic crude market under a naira-based trade agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, a 7.2 per cent stakeholder in the business.

As the Dangote Group eyes its next wave of growth, it plans to expand the capacity of the Lagos refinery to 700,000 barrels per day, build out port infrastructure and establish foreign storage assets in Namibia and other countries.

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In August, it is set to roll out its own distribution business with a fleet of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks.

Dangote Group officials have also shared ambitions to list the refining business on the London and Lagos stock exchanges, and Aliko Dangote reiterated plans to take the business public.

READ ALSO:Dangote Petrol: MRS Increases Fuel Price

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After years of setbacks and budget challenges, the speed of the refinery’s ramp-up in 2024 caught many analysts by surprise, and the complex quickly began exerting pressure on global oil benchmarks as it began exporting its products.

Yet despite beginning test runs on its main gasoline outlet, the residue fluid catalytic cracker, in Q3 2024, the company has since suffered repeated outages on the unit in 2025, forcing it to rely on its lower-yield reformer and sacrifice output over extended periods.

Speaking to Platts earlier in July, a Dangote executive said the RFCC was running at 85 per cent. He denied reports that the company will undergo a planned turnaround on the unit in December.

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According to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data, Nigeria exported some 220,000 b/d of petroleum products in July 2025, when outages at NNPC facilities made Dangote the country’s only active refiner.

The complex exported 30,000 b/d of residual fuel, a refining byproduct which would normally be kept on site for further processing in the RFCC under normal operations.

Exports continue to be dominated by jet fuel, which accounted for 45 per cent of total shipments, and gasoil with a 24 per cent share.

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Petrol Tankers To Stop Loading Beyond 45,000 Litres By October 1 – IPMAN

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The Western Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has said tankers will no longer load more than 45,000 litres of the product from October 1.

The Chairman of the zone, Chief Oyewole Akanni, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Friday.

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Akanni stated that the measure was adopted in a joint meeting involving IPMAN, the government and other stakeholders, held to reduce the cases of petroleum tanker accidents.

The stakeholders, he said, are the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and oil marketers.

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He said, “Before now, some tankers carried up to 90,000 or 60,000 litres, which was dangerous.

“Those big tankers damage our roads, as the trucks are made to carry far more than they were designed for.

“And when overloaded, they become unstable and fall, causing accidents.”

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Akanni stated that the government had also mandated all tankers to install safety covers that prevent spillage in the event of a crash.

With these covers, even if a tanker falls, fuel won’t spill, except if the tank is punctured,” he said.

READ ALSO:Petrol Tanker Explodes In Ibadan

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He, however, lamented the activities of vandals, who deliberately puncture fallen tankers to steal fuel, describing it as a major challenge.

The IPMAN chairman also said that PTD discovered that most accidents occurred at night due to fatigue.

We have, therefore, instructed drivers not to drive at night.

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“Once it is 7.00 p.m., they must park and continue their journey by 7.00 a.m. the next day, but some still disobey this directive,” he said.

READ ALSO:Petroleum Minister, Lokpobiri, Reveals When Fuel Will Be Available

Akanni assured that IPMAN would continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that tanker-related accidents were minimised.

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He said that the spate of fatalities had triggered federal interventions, calling for stricter regulations, mass education, and enforced safety reforms.

According to Akanni, the incidents form part of a broader wave of tanker disasters across Nigeria.

These are marked by systemic failures, including overloading, poor infrastructure, inadequate enforcement, alongside dangerous public practices like fuel scooping,” he said.

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