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Breaking : Over 200 NNPC trucks storm Dangote Refinery to commence lifting of petrol
…Vessel also readied for distribution
Officials keep mute on price
A long queue of petrol tankers yesterday formed along the stretch of the road leading to the Dangote Refinery at Lekki, Lagos as they slowly made their way into the company’s fuel loading gantry ahead of the commencement of the distribution of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) today.
Also on standby at the refinery’s loading/discharging facility is a vessel –Binta Saleh- for the same purpose.
The trucks and the vessel belong to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) which confirmed that it had mobilised over 100 of such vehicles to the refinery by yesterday afternoon in preparation for petrol lifting.
It said: “In preparation for the Dangote Refinery’s scheduled petrol loading on Sunday, September 15, 2024, NNPC Ltd. has been mobilising trucks to the refinery’s fuel loading gantry in Ibeju-Lekki. As of Saturday afternoon, NNPC Ltd. had deployed over 100 trucks, with hundreds more en route.”
Spokesman for NNPCL Femi Soneye in an update on his X handle @FM_Soneye last night said the figure would reach 300 by the end of the day.
“NNPC Ltd. trucks are arriving at the Dangote Refinery in preparation for the scheduled petrol loading on Sunday, September 15, 2024. By the end of today (yesterday), at least 300 trucks will be stationed at the refinery’s fuel loading gantry,” he said.
The NNPCL is the only off-taker of Dangote petrol for now, according to the terms of agreement reached between the company and the refinery.
In effect, interested marketers will be buying the product from the national oil firm.
However, any marketer can buy diesel directly from the refinery.
Under the agreement, the NNPCL will supply about 385,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) to the refinery with effect from next month.
In return, the refinery will supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market, to be paid in naira.
“Diesel will be sold in naira by the Dangote Refinery to any interested off-taker. PMS will only be sold to NNPC, NNPC will then sell to various marketers for now,” Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy,Mr. Wale Edun said on Friday at a press conference in Abuja.
The minister, who was represented by Zach Adedeji, executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), also said that all associated regulatory costs pertaining to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and others would also be paid for in naira.
“We are also setting up a one-stop shop that will coordinate service provision from all regulatory, and security agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of this initiative. This will be located in Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos,” Edun said.
He added: “The technical committee that worked to flesh out this initiative will transition to an implementation execution and monitoring committee that will be working out of Lagos for the next three to six months.”
It was gathered that the NNPCL would pay Dangote Refinery in dollar for the PMS until the end of this month because the crude it has been using was imported and paid for in dollar.
Sources also said that NNPCL assumed the role of sole off-taker for Dangote’s PMS because most dealers showed no interest and also lack the capacity for the job.
Government believes that allowing the refinery pay for the crude supplied it by NNPCL in naira would go a long way in easing the demand for foreign exchange in the country.
The petrol distribution is coming about 480 days after the May 22,2023 inauguration of the refinery.
However, production of diesel and aviation fuel began last January after the refinery took its first delivery of crude on December 12, 2023.
Chairman of the Dangote Group,Alhaji Aliko Dangote said the refinery has capacity to load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries.
“The products from the Refinery will conform to Euro V specifications. The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms. Employing state-of-the-art technology,” he said.
The Lagos State Government promised a comprehensive traffic management strategy to guarantee uninterrupted traffic flow in the Lekki-Ajah corridor in view of the heavy vehicular traffic to be generated by fuel loading at the refinery.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, said the State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) had been fortified with state-of-the-art equipment and trained personnel which would be strategically deployed to oversee and regulate traffic flow within the affected areas.
He assured residents and commuters in the Lekki-Ajah vicinity that thorough preparations had been made, urging them to remain calm and confident in the state government’s capabilities.
“In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, LASTMA has mobilised advanced tow trucks and emergency response equipment to promptly address anticipated potential traffic disruptions.
“Medical ambulance services are also on high alert to ensure rapid response in emergency situations,” the special adviser said.
He said that it was imperative for tanker operators to strictly adhere to traffic regulations, particularly during loading and navigation, within the Lekki-Ajah axis.
Giwa said that the state government would rigorously enforce the regulations to avert traffic disruptions and ensure seamless vehicular movement.
“The Lagos State Government reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding citizens’ welfare and maintaining orderly traffic during this pivotal period of industrial activity.
Read Also: Dangote Refinery begins distribution of PMS tomorrow – Edun
“All motoring public, particularly commercial bus operators, including mini-bus drivers, are hereby cautioned to comply with traffic laws refraining them from picking up, or dropping, passengers at undesignated bus stops.
“They are urged to avoid driving against traffic. They are also advised to observe all road signs, including traffic signals, among other regulations.
“Adherence to these regulations will ensure a harmonious and efficient transportation system.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is hosting a two-day strategic meeting with commissioners, permanent secretaries, and directors of agriculture, fisheries & livestock in the nine Niger Delta states.
The meeting, which kicks off on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, would be addressed by the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who is expected to outline his plans for a retreat and agricultural summit for the Niger Delta region in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s agrarian programme.
An invitation extended to the stakeholders by the NDDC Director of Agric and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, stated that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region by ensuring food security for the people.
Recall that the NDDC Chief Executive Officer had earlier assured that the Commission would align with the President’s vision for agriculture, to ensure that agriculture served as a platform for peace and security in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku promised: “Any time from now, the NDDC will convene a mini-agricultural retreat for state governments and commissioners of agriculture. States in the region have their various areas of strength in agriculture. We aim to establish regional agricultural integration, which will later evolve into a regional agricultural summit where a comprehensive master plan for the region’s agriculture will be developed.”
The Managing Director affirmed that the NDDC was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in developing the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.
Reflecting on the Federal Government’s agricultural policies, Ogbuku stressed the need to bring them home to the Niger Delta region, noting that the NDDC would continue to promote policies and programmes that enhance food security and poverty reduction in the states .
President Bola Tinubu has approved the introduction of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imports into Nigeria.
The initiative is aimed at protecting local refineries and stabilising the downstream market, but it is likely to raise pump prices.
In a letter dated October 21, 2025, reported publicly on October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Tinubu directed immediate implementation of the tariff as part of what the government described as a “market-responsive import tariff framework.”
The letter, signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, and obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, conveyed the President’s approval following a proposal by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji.
The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.
Adedeji, in his memo to the President, explained that the measure was part of ongoing reforms to boost local refining, ensure price stability, and strengthen the naira-based oil economy in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for energy security and fiscal sustainability.
“The core objective of this initiative is to operationalise crude transactions in local currency, strengthen local refining capacity, and ensure a stable, affordable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria,” Adedeji stated.
The FIRS boss also warned that the current misalignment between locally refined products and import parity pricing has created instability in the market.
“While domestic refining of petrol has begun to increase and diesel sufficiency has been achieved, price instability persists, partly due to the misalignment between local refiners and marketers,” he wrote.
He noted that import parity pricing- the benchmark for determining pump prices, often falls below cost recovery levels for local producers, particularly during foreign exchange and freight fluctuations, putting pressure on emerging domestic refineries.
Adedeji added that the government’s responsibility was now “twofold, to protect consumers and domestic producers from unfair pricing practices and collusion, while ensuring a level playing field for refiners to recover costs and attract investments.”
He argued that the new tariff framework would discourage duty-free fuel imports from undercutting domestic producers and foster a fair and competitive downstream environment.
According to projections contained in the letter, the 15 per cent import duty could increase the landing cost of petrol by an estimated N99.72 per litre.
“At current CIF levels, this represents an increment of approximately 99.72 per litre, which nudges imported landed costs toward local cost-recovery without choking supply or inflating consumer prices beyond sustainable thresholds. Even with this adjustment, estimated Lagos pump prices would remain in the range of N964.72 per litre ($0.62), still significantly below regional averages such as Senegal ($1.76 per litre), Cote d’Ivoire ($1.52 per litre), and Ghana ($1.37 per litre).”
The policy comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and ramp up domestic refining.
The 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos has commenced diesel and aviation fuel production, while modular refineries in Edo, Rivers and Imo states have started small-scale petrol refining.
However, despite these gains, petrol imports still account for up to 67 per cent of national demand.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decorated the new Service Chiefs with their new ranks in the military to suit their new positions.
The newly decorated handlers of the nation’s Armed Forces include Lieutenant General, now General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, as Chief of Defence Staff; and Major General now Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiendeye Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).
Others are Major General, now Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Air Vice Marshal, now Air Marshal Kevin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff;
Service chiefs pledge improved security, local arms production, technology use
Tinubu last Friday announced the replacement of the Service Chiefs, a move that has been attributed to the need to refocus and strengthen national security.
While commenting on his action, President Tinubu, in a post on his verified X handle, charged the new military chief helmsmen to “deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour”.
Tinubu decorates Service Chiefs with new ranks
Tinubu decorates Service Chiefs
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decorated the new Service Chiefs with their new ranks in the military to suit their new positions.
The newly decorated handlers of the nation’s Armed Forces include Lieutenant General, now General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, as Chief of Defence Staff; and Major General now Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiendeye Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).
Others are Major General, now Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Air Vice Marshal, now Air Marshal Kevin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff;
Service chiefs pledge improved security, local arms production, technology use
Tinubu last Friday announced the replacement of the Service Chiefs, a move that has been attributed to the need to refocus and strengthen national security.
While commenting on his action, President Tinubu, in a post on his verified X handle, charged the new military chief helmsmen to “deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour”.
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