By Olokuta Rofiat
Petrol continues to retail at ₦865 per litre across major Nigerian cities despite the commencement of Dangote Refinery’s free delivery of fuel to marketers, a move initially expected to reduce pump prices nationwide.
The initiative, which began recently, was designed to cut distribution costs and lower retail prices. According to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the refinery has started supplying products at no transportation cost to selected marketers in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, and nearby states.
IPMAN President, Abubakar Shettima, had projected that the free-delivery arrangement would push petrol prices down from ₦865 to about ₦841 per litre as distribution expanded nationwide.
However, a market survey conducted in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ilorin, Benin, Osogbo, and Ibadan revealed that most filling stations still sell at ₦865 per litre, with some outlets dispensing as high as ₦895.
Industry stakeholders attributed the stagnant prices to limited access to Dangote’s distribution network, high logistics costs in areas outside the free-delivery zones, and depot prices that remain largely unchanged.
Some independent marketers expressed disappointment over the slow price adjustment. “We were expecting the price to drop to ₦841 by now, but we’re still buying from depots at high rates,” one marketer lamented.
Dangote Refinery’s management has assured that additional trucks, particularly those powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), will soon expand delivery coverage to more regions.
Until then, motorists and consumers are expected to keep paying between ₦865 and ₦895 per litre, as the full impact of the refinery’s free-delivery initiative is yet to reflect at retail outlets.
