It Defects Our Key Objective— Dangote Refinery Denies Claims Of Fuel Re-Import From Lomé

The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed allegations that petroleum products refined at its facility are exported to Lomé in Togo and subsequently re-imported into Nigeria, describing the claims as “unsubstantiated” and a “tissue of lies.”

This was contained in a statement signed by the refinery management on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

The refinery specifically rejected allegations that products refined at its facility are shipped to Lomé before being brought back into Nigeria for sale, insisting that such claims are neither supported by available trade data nor commercial logic.

According to the company, facilitating imports that compete directly with its own locally refined products would run contrary to its core business objectives.

“A key objective of Dangote Refinery is to maintain and strengthen its position as a leading supplier of petroleum products to the Nigerian market,” the statement said.

“Facilitating imports that compete directly with our own production would be inconsistent with this objective.”

The refinery further disclosed that its sales contracts and tender agreements expressly prohibit buyers from reselling or re-importing its products into Nigeria.

Addressing the economic viability of the alleged arrangement, the company argued that the costs involved in transporting petroleum products from its refinery to Lomé and back to Nigeria would make such transactions commercially unattractive.

“The estimated logistics cost of moving products from Dangote Refinery to Lomé and subsequently back into Nigeria is approximately US$82–90 per metric ton,” the statement noted.

“These additional costs would significantly erode margins and make such transactions commercially unattractive.”

It added that it does not offer export discounts substantial enough to offset such logistics expenses or create arbitrage opportunities between export and domestic markets.

“Simply put, there is no evident commercial incentive for a producer to incur additional shipping, storage, financing and handling costs only for the product to return and compete in its largest and closest market,” the company stated.

The refinery also emphasized that it maintains detailed records of all product sales, including lifting locations, nominated vessels, counterparties and destination declarations where applicable.

“Any suggestion that the refinery is knowingly facilitating re-importation is inconsistent with the contractual restrictions imposed on buyers and the refinery’s established compliance procedures,” the statement said.

Dangote Refinery further maintained that its public advocacy has consistently centred on reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products and strengthening local refining capacity.

“Increased importation undermines local refining, places pressure on foreign exchange reserves, and weakens domestic industrial development,” the company stated.

The management argued that supporting practices that encourage petroleum imports into Nigeria would contradict both its commercial interests and its publicly stated commitment to achieving energy security through domestic refining.

“There is neither a strategic rationale nor a commercial incentive for Dangote Refinery to facilitate exports to neighbouring markets for subsequent re-importation into Nigeria,” the statement concluded.

“The allegation is not supported by the economics of the trade, the refinery’s contractual arrangements, its product traceability and compliance controls, or its long-standing position on strengthening domestic refining and eliminating dependence on imports.”