Nigeria’s largest association of fuel retailers has said increased supplies of petrol from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will help push down pump prices and stabilise supply across the country.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) called on its members nationwide to prioritise purchases from the Lekki-based refinery, arguing that its pricing is already the most affordable in the downstream market and will become even more competitive when free delivery begins in January 2026.
In a statement signed by its national president, Abubakar Maigandi Shettima, the association welcomed a new agreement under which Dangote Refinery will supply Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) directly to registered IPMAN members.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on developments in the oil and gas sector, IPMAN also commended the refinery’s chairman, Aliko Dangote, for what it described as his support for the federal government’s efforts to reduce fuel prices, pointing to recent downward adjustments in the pump price of petrol.
Shettima said IPMAN controls more than 80% of Nigeria’s PMS retail market, insisting that fears of fuel shortages were unfounded. “We therefore declare that there will be no gap or scarcity in PMS supply to Nigerians,” he said.
He added that the decision by Dangote Refinery to deliver PMS directly to IPMAN filling stations nationwide at no cost from January 2026 would further reduce prices at the pump. “This will certainly lead to further decreases in the pump price of the products at our filling stations,” Shettima said, urging members to patronise the refinery, which he described as offering “the best affordable price for all marketers today”.
The IPMAN president said the association was confident in the federal government’s oil and gas reforms and had consistently called for closer cooperation across the sector, particularly through partnerships that strengthen domestic refining capacity.
According to Shettima, the collaboration between IPMAN and the Dangote Refinery is aimed at improving living standards by ensuring steady and affordable fuel supply, a partnership he credited to what he called the “pragmatic leadership” of President Bola Tinubu, including recent changes in the leadership of the petroleum regulatory agencies.
“Our position has always been to deepen domestic refining in order to eradicate imports of petroleum products,” he said. “Continuous import is not an acceptable parallel business model, because reckless issuance of import licences distorts market dynamics, drains foreign exchange, entrenches poverty, destroys jobs and scares away investors.”
IPMAN also congratulated the newly appointed heads of the oil and gas regulatory bodies, while renewing its call for the settlement of long-outstanding bridging claims owed to its members, estimated at more than ₦190bn. The association urged the new leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to treat the debt as a matter of urgency.
