Petrol Quality: Dangote Considers Restricting Sales to Importers

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is considering restricting the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to major marketers that continue to import petrol into Nigeria, citing concerns over product quality, market transparency and the integrity of products supplied under the Dangote brand.
The proposed measure could take effect as early as this week, subject to further consultations and any last-minute intervention. It reflects growing concerns over the continued importation of PMS into a market where significant domestic refining capacity is now available.
Sources familiar with the refinery’s position said the immediate concern is that some marketers are allegedly blending substandard imported PMS with products purchased from Dangote Refinery before distributing the blended product to the market. The refinery is concerned that such practices could make it difficult to distinguish between products supplied directly by the refinery and those subsequently blended or handled by third parties.
“It is difficult to understand why we would invest heavily in producing high-quality petroleum products for Nigerians, only for those products to be mixed with imported products of uncertain quality and the resulting product to be associated with the refinery,” a source familiar with the refinery’s position said.
The refinery has also expressed concerns over the absence of a standard laboratory by the regulator and adequate quality-control infrastructure for imported petroleum products, particularly the capacity to independently verify and certify the specifications of products entering the Nigerian market.
The concerns come as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector undergoes a structural transition from longstanding import dependence towards increased domestic refining. With a capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has emerged as a major supplier of refined petroleum products to both the Nigerian and international markets, supplying products that meet internationally recognised quality specifications.
The United States Energy Information Administration recently identified the Dangote refinery as a major factor behind the sharp increase in Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports. Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product shipments averaged 561,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, compared with an annual average of 79,000 barrels per day in 2023.
Meanwhile, Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s jet fuel has emerged as a preferred choice in the global market, including in the United States and Europe. The refinery has cemented its position as Europe’s largest external supplier of jet fuel for consecutive months, surpassing traditional exporters from the United States and the Middle East.