The Dangote Petroleum Refinery last week made its first Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) shipment to the United States, while local marketers insisted on fuel importation. This confirmed earlier reports that the refinery is exporting more fuels following the shutdown of some foreign refineries for maintenance.
According to S&P Global, 300,000 barrels of petrol left Nigeria on August 26, with an expected arrival at New York and New Jersey on September 12. This is even as fuel marketers in Nigeria still import more petrol into the country, ignoring the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lekki, Lagos.
Reports say over one billion litres of imported petrol were supplied and distributed in June alone, according to the regulator. In a report, S&P Global said the shipment of petrol to the US by Dangote marked a new milestone for its reach beyond Africa.
Since starting operations in 2024, the refinery has aimed to capture Nigeria’s petrol market and break a long history of import dependence to supply the country’s fuel. Nigeria had for years depended on importation while selling its crude oil to other countries.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said his plan was to make Nigeria and Africa energy independent and turn Nigeria into a net exporter of petroleum products. However, petroleum traders in Nigeria accused the billionaire of plots to monopolies the downstream sector.