The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has appealed to oil industry unions to settle their disagreements with the Dangote Refinery through dialogue instead of public confrontations.
IPMAN’s National President, Abubakar Shettima, in an interview on Wednesday, urged the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to engage directly with Aliko Dangote rather than escalate disputes in the media or seek government intervention.
“My advice to DAPPMAN and NUPENG is simple – go to the table and discuss. Talking to the media or running to the government won’t help. Dangote is a Nigerian; he will listen to them,” Shettima said.
He explained that with the country’s downstream sector now fully deregulated, players must adapt to new realities. “You cannot tell a private investor how to run his business. If he decides to sell fuel at a certain price, that is his decision. The market is deregulated,” he added.
In recent weeks, tension has been rising in the sector. DAPPMAN accused Dangote Refinery of distorting market prices after announcing a cut from ₦865 per litre to between ₦841 and ₦851 in different regions. The group also alleged the refinery sold petrol cheaper to foreign traders in Lome than to local marketers.
NUPENG, on its part, shut down depots and the refinery earlier this month, protesting restrictions on union membership for drivers operating Dangote’s fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas trucks. The union also threatened further action over what it described as anti-labour practices.
Businessman Femi Otedola, who founded DAPPMAN in 2002, has also weighed in, urging depot owners to embrace change instead of holding on to outdated models. According to him, Dangote’s refinery has already eliminated inefficiencies that once justified their business model.
“Times have changed. Many depots are now idle, and the old system no longer works. With Dangote supplying fuel locally, we must adapt,” Otedola said.
Dangote, meanwhile, has vowed not to allow what he described as “oil mafias” to undermine his $20bn refinery project.
The Lekki-based refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is regarded as a game-changer for Nigeria, expected to end decades of reliance on imported petroleum products. However, observers warn that unresolved disputes between key players could disrupt the stability and lower fuel costs the refinery was built to deliver.
