The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended its gasoline cut ticket diagram after uncovering well-liked fraud amongst some of its affiliated entrepreneurs.
The switch, which took construct on July 13, 2025, comes after weeks of inner investigations revealed that discounted gasoline supposed to relief Nigerians collect admission to more cost-effective petrol was being diverted and resold for profit.
In the muse designed to relief Dangote’s registered partners compete with gasoline importers, the discounted provide program was supposed to invent clear accurate nationwide distribution at cheap costs.
However as an different of sending the merchandise to their carrier stations, some entrepreneurs had been reportedly reselling them often at elevated costs or passing them to unregistered third parties.
The field grew to turn into more seen when complaints began pouring in that some of these strategic partners had been buying and selling their gasoline loading rights is known as Authority To Gain (ATC) on the dusky market.
This supposed they had been handing over collect admission to to the more cost-effective gasoline to others who weren’t fragment of the usual settlement, undermining both the explanation and the equity of the diagram.
Some partners had been additionally stumbled on promoting gasoline straight at the refinery’s tarmac, below the official depot ticket, creating confusion within the market and elevating sustainability concerns for the refinery’s operations.
In a letter signed by Fatima Dangote, Neighborhood Govt Director of Industrial Operations, the firm defined that whereas a number of warnings had been given, the abuse had worsened.
The suspension, it mentioned, was mandatory to offer protection to the integrity of the refinery’s operations and the gasoline market at worthy.
“All gift product notes issued earlier than the suspension date will nonetheless be honoured,” the firm mentioned, adding that someone who had already achieved price earlier than July 13 would nonetheless receive gasoline at the former discounted fee.
On the opposite hand, the firm was company that a overview of the diagram was now underway. Vitality analyst Olatide Jeremiah confirmed that the fraud was valid and well-liked.
“Some entrepreneurs had been collecting discounted gasoline and then promoting it to others at a profit, as an different of delivering it to their stations,” he mentioned. “They had been making rapid profits of about ₦4 per litre whereas heading off the costs and effort of retail operations.”
In some conditions, the fraud even eager gasoline given on credit ranking underneath special agreements supposed to lift nationwide gasoline availability. As a substitute of keeping to the terms, entrepreneurs diverted the extra volumes to honest dealers.
The fallout from the abuse has now created distortions in pump pricing, with some non-affiliated entrepreneurs who count on imports, managing to sell at identical rates as Dangote’s official partners, regardless of not having collect admission to to the cut ticket.
Market reports cover that a number of inner most depots indulge in adjusted their costs to match the refinery’s, with moderate ex-depot costs now spherical ₦820 per litre, down from ₦835 first and most well-known of the week.
Though the Dangote refinery did not name the entrepreneurs eager, its listing of strategic partners involves a number of critical gamers admire TotalEnergies, MRS Oil, Heyden Petroleum, and Ardova Plc.
For now, the firm says it is engaged on a restructured mannequin that can just embody contemporary incentive methods. Despite the setback, it has emphasised that the premise of strategic partnerships remains official, nonetheless stricter controls will most likely practice.
No names were officially mentioned, and the Dangote Neighborhood’s head of corporate communications, Anthony Chiejina, well-liked that whereas the firm is mindful of the worries, there is for the time being no official dispute with entrepreneurs.
The scandal has raised questions referring to the challenges of regulating inner most sector-led gasoline distribution.
