A coalition of civic groups, operating under the platforms of the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative and the Guardians of Democracy and Development Initiative, has dismissed concerns that Dangote Refinery intends to dominate the downstream petroleum sector.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, Comrade Danesi Momoh, who addressed journalists on behalf of the coalition, praised the refinery’s management for consistently driving down the prices of petroleum products in the country.
Momoh said the coalition was prepared to rally Nigerians in defense of the gains already achieved through the refinery’s operations.
The coalition urged the management of Dangote Refinery to remain resolute, patriotic, and focused, even amid attempts by vested interests to drag the nation back to the era of product importation, fraudulent subsidy practices, oil racketeering, and recurring fuel scarcity.
According to the coalition, the establishment of Dangote Refinery has broken the grip of oil cartels that had stifled Nigeria for decades.
They further said that the facility has repositioned the country as an exporter of refined petroleum products, thereby ending the long-standing embarrassment of exporting crude oil while importing finished products.
Addressing claims of a creeping monopoly, the coalition said such allegations were unfounded. It said, “What some call monopoly is, in reality, a force that is reducing fuel prices, generating employment, boosting Nigeria’s balance of trade, and providing significant revenue to the treasury. That is a positive form of market dominance.”
The coalition noted that following the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, diesel prices had peaked at ₦1,700 per litre and petrol at ₦1,020 per litre in some locations.
It added, “Today, diesel sells for about ₦1,030 while petrol is down to ₦855, thanks to the pricing interventions of Dangote Refinery.”
The coalition said that rather than criticising the refinery for reducing prices, other investors should either establish their own refineries, sustain their importation activities, or engage with Dangote Refinery through constructive dialogue.
It warned, “This project is a national asset and should not be subjected to sabotage. Nigerians have endured enough under the old cartel system.”
