Photo Credit: The Punch
2025-12-24 07:00:00
According to Punch, petroleum marketers argue that even with rising local refining capacity, Nigeria’s fuel supply needs cannot be met by one refinery alone—making imports and multiple supply channels necessary to prevent shortages and price shocks.
The argument is partly about volume and partly about resilience: a single-point supply system increases vulnerability to maintenance downtime, feedstock disruptions, logistics bottlenecks, or regulatory disputes.
Marketers also warn that policy choices that squeeze out importers too aggressively could reduce competition and create a supply monopoly—potentially weakening price discipline over time.
The story lands amid a broader debate: how quickly Nigeria can transition from import dependence to domestic refining dominance without destabilising the downstream market.
Premium Times cited regulators arguing the refinery “cannot meet… daily consumption demand,” while Reuters has reported Dangote’s ramp-up alongside policy shifts aimed at discouraging imports—fueling warnings about monopoly risk if competition collapses.
Echotitbits take: Nigeria’s endgame should be diversified domestic supply—not “one refinery, one market.” Watch for transparent supply statistics (daily volumes), open access to storage/jetty infrastructure, and fair competition rules that prevent cartel behaviour on either side (importers vs refiners).
Source: The Punch — December 24, 2025 (https://punchng.com/dangote-alone-cant-meet-nigerias-fuel-demands-marketers-insist/)
The Punch 2025-12-24
