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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced the suspension of petrol sales in Naira, a move that’s already causing concern among fuel marketers and raising fears of another spike in pump prices across Nigeria.
In a notice sent to customers on Friday evening, September 26, the refinery stated that the suspension would take effect from Sunday, September 28, 2025. According to the communication, the decision stems from the exhaustion of the refinery’s crude-for-naira allocation — a system that previously allowed it to sell refined products in the local currency.
The notice, issued by the Group Commercial Operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals and titled “Suspension of DPRP PMS Naira Sales – Effective 28th September 2025,” advised customers with pending naira-based transactions to formally request refunds.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has been selling petroleum products in excess of our naira-crude allocations and, consequently, we are unable to sustain PMS sales in naira going forward,” the statement read.
“This suspension will be effective from Sunday, 28th September 2025. We will provide further updates once the situation is resolved.”
This isn’t the first time the refinery has taken such action. Back in March 2025, a similar suspension occurred due to the same issue — and that move contributed to petrol prices shooting up to nearly ₦1,000 per litre in parts of the country, while also fueling speculation about the “dollarisation” of Nigeria’s fuel market.
Now, with this latest development, fears are resurfacing. Analysts warn that if marketers are forced to pay in dollars for fuel supplies, the cost will inevitably be passed on to consumers — potentially pushing prices even higher. There’s also concern that demand for dollars will increase, putting more pressure on Nigeria’s already fragile foreign exchange reserves.
The Dangote Refinery, a flagship project led by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, was widely expected to transform Nigeria’s energy sector — reducing fuel imports, easing forex demand, and stabilizing supply. But repeated disruptions tied to allocation systems and pricing models are starting to raise questions about its long-term impact on the domestic market.
As of Saturday, no timeline has been provided for when naira-based sales might resume. For now, both fuel marketers and consumers are preparing for a possible round of uncertainty at the pumps.
