We Don’t Import Refined Petroleum Products – Dangote
By Yunus Yusuf
The Dangote Refinery has categorically denied allegations that it imports refined petroleum products into Nigeria, insisting that all petrol and other fuels sold from its operations are fully refined locally.
The clarification was made by the Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, Mr. David Bird, during a media briefing on Wednesday in Lagos, amid growing public debate over fuel importation and local refining capacity.
Bird explained that materials often mistaken for imported fuel are, in reality, intermediate feedstocks used to optimise refinery operations.
These include high catalytic sulphur gasoline and straight-run naphtha—unfinished components that undergo extensive processing at the Lekki-based facility before becoming market-ready products.
“We do not import refined fuel,” Bird said. “Everything sold as petrol, diesel or aviation fuel is refined here in Lekki to Nigerian and international Euro-V standards.”
According to him, the use of intermediate feedstocks is a standard global practice in complex and merchant refineries across major refining hubs such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India.
He noted that Dangote Refinery, unlike refineries located directly at the end of crude oil pipelines, operates as a merchant refinery, sourcing diverse crude and feedstock grades largely by sea.
This flexibility, he said, allows the refinery to maximise utilisation of its highly sophisticated conversion units and upgrade every molecule into high-value, clean fuels and petrochemicals.
Bird accused some oil marketers and regulatory actors of undermining Nigeria’s local refining ambitions by importing cheaper, sub-standard fuels while refusing to patronise domestically refined products.
Such actions, he warned, threaten the country’s energy security and foreign-exchange stability.
He disclosed that the refinery is currently supplying about 45 million litres of petrol daily to the domestic market and did not export petrol during the peak Christmas and New Year period, adding that exports only occur when there is excess supply or limited local uptake, particularly during early operational phases.
Highlighting the public health benefits of local refining, Bird said Nigeria is now enjoying cleaner fuels with significantly reduced sulphur and metal content, comparable to those used in Europe and North America.
He described the Dangote Refinery as one of the most modern, automated and data-rich facilities in the world, capable of producing only high-value “white products” such as petrol, diesel, jet fuel and polypropylene.
Reaffirming the company’s long-term vision, Bird said the refinery is committed to meeting domestic demand first while positioning Nigeria as a hub for clean, world-class fuels for Africa.
“West Africa should no longer be a dumping ground for inferior products,” he said. “Nigeria deserves—and now produces—the best.”
