By Charles Pemu 
LAGOS – The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited has suspended all self-collection gantry sales of petroleum products, effective Thursday, September 18, 2025. The move, announced in a correspondence to its marketing partners, is an operational adjustment aimed at improving efficiency and promoting the wider adoption of the refinery’s “Free Delivery Scheme.”
According to the company, the suspension also serves to halt sales to marketers who are not registered for its delivery scheme, whether they purchase products directly from the depot or indirectly through other marketers. The refinery has instructed that any payments made for self-collection after the effective date will not be honored.
This decision comes against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between the Dangote Refinery and two major industry bodies, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).
- NUPENG has accused the refinery of resisting the unionization of its truck drivers, despite a government-brokered agreement.
- DAPPMAN has criticized the refinery’s “free delivery scheme,” alleging that it compels marketers to use Dangote’s fleet at commercial rates. The association has also accused the refinery of monopolistic practices and of giving preferential treatment to foreign traders.
The Dangote Refinery, in turn, maintains that its free delivery scheme is designed to stabilize supply and cut costs, and has accused marketers of seeking subsidies and fueling product diversion.
The new policy is expected to have significant implications for independent petroleum marketers and retail owners who have relied on direct self-collection from the refinery’s gantry and have not yet registered for the free delivery scheme.