Despite Free Delivery Promise: Dangote Group Reveals Why Petrol Prices Still Soar

Dangote Group’s Vice President for Oil and Gas, Devakumar Edwin, has shed light on why petrol prices have not dropped, even though the Dangote Petroleum Refinery had promised free nationwide distribution.

According to Edwin, the delay in the arrival of 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks ordered from China has slowed down the refinery’s plan to deliver petrol across Nigeria at no transport cost.

Speaking on Friday during a tour of the refinery by Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Edwin said logistics issues from China had created a temporary setback.

“We ordered 4,000 trucks from China, but there were not enough vessels available to ship them all at once. That caused major delays.
By the grace of God, before the end of this year, all the trucks will arrive. Once they’re here, we’ll roll them out nationwide and ensure that every local demand is met through our own distribution network.
When that happens, you’ll see the difference — whether you’re in Taraba, Maiduguri, or Sokoto — fuel prices will become uniform and much lower,” he said.

Edwin further revealed that the refinery is still grappling with crude oil supply constraints, which have affected its transition plan to operate fully on locally sourced crude.

He recalled that in July 2025, the company announced plans to achieve 100% local crude supply before year-end, but the recent suspension of the naira-for-crude policy slowed progress due to limited supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

However, Edwin expressed optimism that the situation would soon improve following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, directing that crude oil be made available to the refinery in naira.

“With the President’s directive now in place, we’re confident that the challenge of securing 100% local crude will soon be fully resolved,” he added.