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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has declared a suspension of petrol sales in naira, a development that has unsettled fuel marketers and reignited worries about pump prices and foreign exchange stress.
In a message sent via email to customers at precisely 6:42 pm on Friday, the refinery stated that the measure would be enforced from Sunday, September 28, 2025. The suspension is due to the depletion of its crude-for-naira allocation.
The message, signed by the Group Commercial Operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, was titled “Suspension of DPRP PMS Naira Sales – Effective 28th September 2025.”
The refinery also instructed customers currently involved in naira-based transactions to submit formal requests for reimbursement.
It stated in part, “We write to inform you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has been selling petroleum products in excess of our Naira-Crude allocations and, consequently, we are unable to sustain PMS sales in Naira going forward.”
“Kindly note that this suspension of Naira sales for PMS will be effective from Sunday, 28th of September, 2025. We will provide further updates regarding the resumption of supply once the situation has been resolved.”
“All customers with PMS transactions in Naira who would like a refund of their current payments should formally request the processing of their refund.”
This announcement follows mounting tensions at the refinery due to an ongoing dispute with labour unions regarding the alleged dismissal of over 800 Nigerian employees—a move that has sparked public outrage and demands for intervention from the government.
It is not the first time the refinery has suspended transactions in the local currency. In March 2025, Dangote had briefly halted the sale of refined products in naira, arguing that its crude-for-naira allocation was insufficient to meet the rising domestic demand.
That decision had raised concerns about fuel dollarisation in Nigeria, which led to pump prices rising to nearly N1,000 per litre.
Industry experts caution that this latest suspension may again destabilise the downstream sector, especially if the bulk of transactions shift to dollar payments, potentially leading to a further increase in petrol prices.
Jeremiah Olatide, the Chief Executive Officer of Petroleumprice.ng, cautioned that petrol prices could climb beyond N900 per litre. He noted that the Dangote Refinery had previously played a key role in keeping prices at the pump more affordable in recent months.
The announcement also comes at a time of heightened industrial unrest at the facility. On Friday, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria accused the refinery of violating labour laws after hundreds of Nigerian staff were reportedly dismissed.
Union officials condemned what they called “an unjust and insensitive corporate decision,” and have threatened nationwide solidarity protests if the issue is not resolved promptly.
With the refinery considered vital to Nigeria’s energy security, stakeholders warn that these dual crises—the suspension of naira sales and growing labour disputes—could derail the federal government’s attempts to stabilise the fuel supply chain under its ongoing reform agenda.
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