Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has expressed its support for the Dangote Refinery’s recent initiative to distribute petrol and diesel at no cost to marketers nationwide.
Gatekeepers News reports that IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, commended billionaire Aliko Dangote for addressing significant challenges within the sector.
“If you look at the Dangote statement, it is a strong policy statement. If you read down that statement, you will understand that he foresaw a lot of problems in the oil and gas industry and also decided to tackle it.
“It is something that we welcome with a lot of cheers because it is going to bring fuel cheaper at our doorpost,” Ukadike said.
According to Ukadike, this initiative will not only facilitate easier access to fuel for consumers but also help reduce operational costs for marketers.
“Our pipelines have gone for years, nobody is talking about the pipelines wired all over the country from all the whole 21 depots. Products are not being moved. We are suffering the brunt of bringing these products from the seashores of the country where DAPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) members have their tank farms.
“But if you look at Dangote’s statement, you will see that a heavy load has been lifted out of the independent marketers,” he said.
On August 15, 2025, the Dangote Refinery plans to launch this program, utilising 4,000 newly acquired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers to deliver fuel to various marketers, dealers, and other large users throughout the country.
However, the announcement, which was made on Sunday, has prompted concerns from the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN). They argued that this initiative could undermine depot owners, truck operators, and retail outlets that currently have special arrangements for direct fuel deliveries to large corporations and multinationals.
In response to these concerns, the IPMAN spokesperson reaffirmed that as a refinery, Dangote has the prerogative to implement more efficient methods for delivering its products to marketers.
