Aliko Dangote, head of Nigeria’s largest private refinery, has accused the downstream petroleum regulator of continuing to licence fuel imports despite domestic capacity to supply the entire market, warning it threatens local production and energy security.
Speaking at an industry event, the president of Dangote Industries Limited criticised the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for issuing permits that allow importers to persist with “back-loading” practices.
“They are still issuing licences despite that we can meet the demand. They are still killing us with importation,” Dangote said.
He added: “They are importing and we are exporting. Yes, we can do 75 million litres, but they are still back-loading.”
The 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos is capable of producing up to 75 million litres of petrol daily, enough to satisfy national needs, according to the businessman.
Dangote noted that daily imported petrol volumes had fallen from 24.8 million litres in January 2026 to three million litres in February but alleged that importers without filling stations were smuggling supplies into the market.
“When they bring the goods, they smuggle them because they don’t have any filling stations. These importers don’t have filling stations. It’s affecting us,” he said.
He likened the situation to the rice sector: “It’s the same thing they did with rice, they killed (the businesses of) every rice farmer. This is where we are.”
Dangote argued the practice violates the spirit of the Petroleum Industry Act, which restricts import licences to cases where local refining falls short, and prioritises pricing over job creation and self-sufficiency.
The regulator has not issued an immediate response to the claims.
