By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s fuel supply chain is undergoing a dramatic shake-up as Dangote Petroleum Refinery records daily petrol loadings of more than 2,000 trucks, consolidating its role as the country’s dominant distribution hub while private depots across the nation sit largely empty.
The surge follows a series of aggressive commercial moves by Africa’s largest refinery, including slashing its ex-depot petrol price to ₦699 ($0.45) per litre and cutting the minimum lift volume from 2 million litres to 250,000 litres. The changes have opened the door to thousands of small and medium-sized independent marketers previously shut out of direct refinery access.
Industry operators say the impact has been immediate and far-reaching.
A newly introduced 10-day bank guarantee payment system has further accelerated demand, easing cash flow pressures for marketers and allowing the refinery to operate around the clock to meet unprecedented volumes.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), which represents more than 80 percent of the country’s retail fuel stations, has thrown its weight behind the shift. Loadings that stood at just over 1,000 trucks per day earlier in December have now consistently crossed the 2,000 mark, according to industry figures.
The rapid rise has come at a cost for traditional private depot operators. With marketers flocking to Dangote’s lower prices and flexible terms, private depots are reporting sharply reduced throughput and shrinking margins.
Analysts say the trend signals a deepening consolidation of Nigeria’s downstream fuel market, with Dangote Refinery increasingly setting the pace on pricing, access and supply — and reshaping how petrol moves across Africa’s largest economy.
