Dangote Refinery Rejects Petrol Import Allegations, Plans Legal Action Against False Claims
Story: Written by Zara February 10,2026Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stated that it has identified individuals behind reports alleging that the company imports petrol into Nigeria, describing the claims as false, misleading, and deliberately orchestrated to deceive the public.
In a statement issued on Monday, the refinery said it would reveal the identities and motives of those involved “at the appropriate time,” warning that legal action would be taken against anyone found culpable. It accused the promoters of the narrative of acting out of selfish interests and an inability to accept Nigeria’s gradual exit from fuel importation.
The company alleged that those spreading the claims are beneficiaries of past fraudulent financing arrangements tied to repeated and failed repairs of state-owned refineries.
Clarifying the issue, Dangote Refinery’s Chief Executive Officer, David Bird, explained on February 4 that the facility does not import finished petroleum products. Instead, it imports intermediate feedstocks used in the refining process.
The refinery noted that recent reports, credited to an international intelligence firm and circulated through newspaper advertisements, wrongly suggested it imports Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). It added that the matter was discussed at an S&P Global forum in the United Kingdom, where stakeholders acknowledged Dangote Refinery’s transformative role in Nigeria’s refining landscape.
According to the statement, the refinery only imports intermediate streams and blending components — including high-sulphur reformates and low-octane condensates — which require further refining before they can meet market standards. Such materials, it stressed, are not petrol and cannot be sold as PMS without additional processing, a practice common among major refineries in Europe and Asia.
Dangote Refinery further stated that the only petrol supplied to the Nigerian market from its operations is Euro 5–compliant PMS, which undergoes strict quality testing before distribution.
