Petroleum depot owners across Nigeria have increased the ex-depot price of petrol.
Gatekeepers News reports that this has raised concerns that retail pump prices may soon climb following reports that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has temporarily shut down its petrol-producing unit for scheduled maintenance and upgrades.
Industry checks show that several private depots are now selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at around ₦800 per litre, up from previous rates between ₦740 and ₦780 per litre in major hubs such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Warri.
The price move follows reports that the refinery’s primary petrol unit has been taken offline for a planned turnaround maintenance and upgrade, which is intended to remove production bottlenecks and boost capacity, rather than fix an emergency breakdown.
The refinery has also reportedly scheduled a short suspension of its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) as part of the upgrade this month.
Before the recent increases, ex-depot petrol prices briefly eased in late December 2025, dropping to about ₦725 per litre in Lagos and between ₦754 and ₦773 per litre in other cities, following earlier price adjustments.
Market operators say depot owners are pricing in anticipated tighter supply and higher replacement costs, a situation made more acute by the temporary loss of direct petrol loading from the refinery.
If current trends continue, petrol costs at many filling stations across the country could soon rise well above existing pump price levels.
