Dangote refinery halts petrol sales in naira

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended the sale of petrol in naira.

The move is sparking concern among marketers and raising fears of a fresh surge in pump prices as well as renewed pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange market.

In a notice sent to customers on Friday evening, the refinery announced that the suspension would take effect from Sunday, September 28, 2025.

The company attributed the decision to the depletion of its crude-for-naira allocation.

The letter, issued by the Group Commercial Operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, was titled “Suspension of DPRP PMS Naira Sales – Effective 28th September 2025.”

The company further directed customers with ongoing naira transactions to apply for refunds.

The notice read: “Dangote Petroleum Refinery and 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.

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“This suspension will be effective from Sunday, 28th September 2025. We will provide further updates regarding the resumption of supply once the situation has been resolved.

“All customers with PMS transactions in naira who would like a refund of their current payments should formally request the processing of their refund.”

The development comes amid a tense standoff between the refinery and labour unions over the dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers — a move that unions have condemned and urged the federal government to address.

This is the second time in 2025 that the refinery has halted local currency transactions. A similar move in March triggered fears of a “dollarisation” of fuel sales and pushed petrol prices close to N1,000 per litre.

The Star