Petrol prices for Nigerians may soon decrease as Dangote Petroleum Refinery partners prepare to sell fuel at a new pump price of ₦739 per litre, pending any last-minute changes. This announcement comes just two days after the refinery reduced its wholesale price from ₦828 to ₦699 per litre.

During a press briefing at the Lekki refinery on Sunday, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, expressed concern that some filling stations refuse to adjust their pump prices even when wholesale prices drop, describing this practice as deliberate sabotage.

Dangote announced that MRS Oil, one of the refinery’s major partners, would begin selling petrol at ₦739 per litre starting Tuesday in Lagos, with other partner stations expected to follow suit shortly after. He alleged that certain officials have encouraged some marketers to keep prices high, undermining the price reduction efforts. Despite this, he insisted that such actions would not deter his determination to enforce the new price.

Additionally, Dangote stated that the refinery is open to independent marketers, including members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), urging anyone who can buy 10 trucks or more to purchase directly from the refinery at ₦699 per litre. He questioned why petrol pump prices should soar as high as ₦900 per litre when the cost of transporting fuel from the refinery does not exceed ₦15 per litre.

He also criticized the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for undermining local production by issuing 47 import licenses for over seven billion litres of petrol in the first quarter of 2026, despite assurances of local supply. According to him, this decision has left refinery storage tanks full and jeopardized the viability of modular refineries across the country.

Dangote firmly stated that the new ₦739 pump price would be enforced, beginning with MRS stations, and emphasized that the refinery is not profiting excessively from these sales.

When approached for comments, NMDPRA spokesperson George Ene-Ita declined to respond, stating simply, “For now, no comment.”