— Major marketers importing PMS may face supply restrictions as refinery moves to protect product quality and brand integrity

By Newsbanner Correspondent

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is considering restricting the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, to major marketers that continue to import the product into Nigeria amid mounting concerns over product quality, market transparency and the alleged blending of imported fuel with Dangote-produced petrol.

The proposed measure, which sources said could take effect as early as this week, is still subject to further consultations and possible last-minute interventions.

The move signals a potentially major escalation in the battle for Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market, as the country gradually shifts away from decades of dependence on imported petroleum products towards increased domestic refining.

Sources familiar with the refinery’s position said its immediate concern is the alleged practice by some marketers of mixing imported PMS of questionable quality with petrol purchased from the Dangote Refinery before distributing the blended product to consumers.

According to the sources, the practice creates a serious challenge for product traceability and could damage the reputation of the refinery, as consumers may be unable to distinguish between petrol supplied directly by Dangote and products 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 is said to be particularly concerned that products whose quality may have been compromised after leaving its custody could still be presented to the public as Dangote petrol.

Industry sources said restricting supplies to marketers simultaneously importing petrol could become one of the strongest measures yet taken by the refinery to protect the integrity of its products and force greater transparency in the downstream market.

The development could also reopen the contentious debate over whether Nigeria should continue importing large volumes of petrol despite the availability of substantial domestic refining capacity.

The refinery has equally raised concerns over what it considers inadequate quality-control infrastructure for imported petroleum products, particularly the absence of sufficient independent laboratory capacity to verify and certify the specifications of products entering the Nigerian market.

This, according to sources, makes it more difficult to guarantee that imported PMS meets the same standards expected of products refined locally.

Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector is currently undergoing a dramatic structural transition, moving from a system dominated by imports towards one increasingly supported by domestic refining.

With a production capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has emerged as one of the most significant players in the transformation of Nigeria’s energy landscape, supplying refined petroleum products to both local and international markets.

The refinery’s growing influence is also being felt beyond Nigeria’s borders. The United States Energy Information Administration recently identified 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, representing a dramatic increase from the annual average of just 79,000 barrels per day recorded in 2023.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s products have also gained increasing acceptance in international markets. Its jet fuel has emerged as a preferred product across major markets, including the United States and Europe, where the refinery has reportedly established itself as Europe’s largest external supplier of jet fuel for consecutive months, overtaking traditional suppliers from the United States and the Middle East.

If implemented, the proposed restriction on marketers importing petrol could mark a decisive new phase in the struggle for control of Nigeria’s fuel market.

It would also place major marketers under increasing pressure to choose between continued reliance on imported petrol and deeper participation in the country’s rapidly expanding domestic refining revolution.

For Dangote Refinery, however, the message appears clear: the integrity of its brand and the quality of products associated with it may no longer be negotiable.