Drama unfolds in Nigeria’s energy space as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) pushed back against accusations from billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote over petrol imports and refinery capacity.
The regulator defended its decision to issue petrol import licences, saying local supply still falls short of national demand.
NMDPRA spokesperson, George Ene-Ita, questioned the criticism, asking if issuing import licences was illegal when Nigerians still need fuel.
According to figures published by the agency, Dangote Refinery supplied an average of 23.52 million litres of petrol daily in November, below its expected 35 million litres per day.
Diesel supply averaged about 5.6 million litres daily. The authority also noted that government-owned refineries are mostly inactive, while several modular refineries operate below full capacity.
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NMDPRA added that Nigeria’s fuel reserves remain fragile, with petrol sufficient for 17 days, diesel for 35 days, aviation fuel for 15 days, and cooking gas for just eight days.
Dangote strongly rejected the claims, insisting his $20 billion refinery can meet local fuel demand. He said the project is driven by national pride, not profit, and revealed plans to list the refinery on the Nigerian Exchange so Nigerians can own shares.
He accused the regulator of misrepresenting refinery capacity by focusing on product offtake instead of actual production. Dangote alleged that fuel imports are encouraged to keep prices high and claimed efforts are being made to push his refinery into exporting products that later return to Nigeria at higher prices.
The billionaire also raised concerns about crude supply, revealing that the refinery imports large volumes of crude from the United States due to limited local supply. Despite the controversy, Dangote insisted the refinery remains committed to serving Nigerians first.
