Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed allegations that petroleum products refined at its facility are exported to Lomé, Togo, and later re-imported into Nigeria, describing the claims as false and inconsistent with commercial realities.
The company said the allegation, which recently circulated online, lacked economic, strategic and operational basis, prompting the refinery to issue a clarification despite its usual policy of avoiding responses to what it described as unsubstantiated claims.
In a statement released on Tuesday via its X account, the refinery said facilitating the importation of products that directly compete with its output would run contrary to its core business objectives.
“As a matter of policy, we do not respond to baseless and unsubstantiated claims, given our current determination and focus on ensuring energy security in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
“However, we have decided to clear the air on this ill-motivated web of falsehoods for posterity,” the statement read.
The company explained that its commercial strategy is centred on strengthening its position in the domestic fuel market, making any arrangement that encourages competing imports commercially irrational.
“A key objective of Dangote Refinery is to maintain and strengthen its position as a leading supplier of petroleum products to the Nigerian market. Facilitating imports that compete directly with our own production would be inconsistent with this objective,” the management stated.
According to the refinery, the cost of shipping products from its facility to Togo and then transporting them back into Nigeria would significantly increase expenses and undermine profitability.
“The estimated logistics cost of moving products from Dangote Refinery to Lomé and subsequently back into Nigeria is approximately $80–90 per metric ton. These additional costs would significantly erode margins and make such transactions commercially unattractive,” the statement said.
The company also disclosed that its sales agreements and tender conditions expressly prohibit buyers from re-importing products into Nigeria. It added that it maintains detailed records of product sales, including lifting points, vessels, counterparties and destination declarations where necessary.
“Dangote Refinery maintains comprehensive records of all product sales, including lifting locations, nominated vessels, counterparties, and destination declarations where applicable.
“Any suggestion that the refinery is knowingly facilitating re-importation is inconsistent with the contractual restrictions imposed on buyers and the refinery’s established compliance procedures.”
The refinery further reiterated its long-standing position in support of local refining, arguing that increased dependence on imported petroleum products weakens domestic industrial growth and places additional pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
“It would therefore be inconsistent with both the refinery’s commercial interests and its publicly stated position to support or encourage practices that increase imports into Nigeria,” the management stated.
The company maintained that neither the economics of the trade nor its contractual safeguards support claims that products refined at the facility are exported to neighbouring countries for re-entry into the Nigerian market.
“The allegation is not supported by the economics of the trade, the refinery’s contractual arrangements, its product traceability and compliance controls, or its long-standing position on strengthening domestic refining and eliminating dependence on imports,” the statement added.
