The move, which marked the refinery’s first major petrol supply operation, comes amid growing pressure to stabilise Nigeria’s volatile fuel market Industry players said the selection signals the start of a more controlled and transparent supply chain.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has launched a pilot distribution programme, selecting 20 major depot owners to lift and distribute 600 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, this October.
The initiative follows a series of high-level meetings between the refinery’s management and key downstream operators to build a structured, transparent, and stable fuel supply chain across Nigeria.
New petrol prices emerge at filling stations as Dangote quietly raises PMS rates by N100 Controlled distribution framework Under the pilot plan, each of the 20 selected depot operators will lift about 30 million litres of petrol between October 10 and October 31, 2025.
Loading will be done strictly at the refinery’s truck gantry and marine terminals to ensure proper monitoring and eliminate multiple handling layers.
Industry insiders disclosed that the refinery has pegged its gantry price at ₦877 per litre, reflecting logistics and distribution costs under the new controlled framework.
Only accredited partners will participate in this pilot phase. List of selected marketers The companies chosen for the pilot programme include: NNPCL Retail,
A.Y.M. Shafa,
A.A. Rano,
Salbas Energy,
Northwest Petroleum,
Rainoil,
Ardova,
Optima Energy,
Masters Energy,
Bovas Group,
Dan Marna Petroleum,
NIPCO Plc,
Pinnacle Oil and Gas,
Heyden Petroleum,
Sunbeth Global Concepts,
Mainland Oil and Gas,
NEPAL Oil and Gas Services,
MRS Oil Nigeria Plc,
Conoil Plc, and
TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc.
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and serves as a test model ahead of a full commercial rollout.
IPMAN, industry leaders confirm development The national public relations officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, confirmed that the refinery held meetings with major marketers to finalise the distribution structure.
He said the project aims to release up to 600 million litres of petrol monthly to stabilise domestic supply and curb rising pump prices.
“At the meeting, Dangote announced that 20 selected marketers will act as primary distributors to other dealers.
The structure is designed to cut off middlemen and reduce speculation,” Ukadike said. IPMAN’s national vice president, Hammed Fashola, added that while the shortlist is confirmed, the final approval list will be officially released soon.
Pilot phase to test logistics and pricing An industry executive familiar with the development noted that the pilot phase is meant to assess logistics performance, pricing efficiency, and delivery timelines before nationwide expansion.
“Dangote wants to test the network through controlled partnerships before scaling operations. Each depot operator will lift under strict compliance,” the source said.
