Dangote Refinery speaks out amid rumoured shutdown

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has moved to dispel circulating claims suggesting it had halted operations, describing the reports as false and misleading.

In a statement issued late Friday, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer Anthony Chiejina addressed the speculation, rejecting assertions that production or truck loading had been suspended.

“The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is fully operational. There has been no shutdown, nor has there been any suspension of truck loading activities,” the statement said.

He clarified that the refinery’s intermittent sale of Residual Catalytic Oil (RCO) is a routine part of its business model, often involving large-volume transactions — such as the recent fuel oil tender — and does not signal any operational problems.

According to Chiejina, the refinery continues to deliver more than 40 million litres of petrol daily, alongside consistent supplies of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). These volumes, he stressed, have not been interrupted despite rumours suggesting otherwise.

“As the world’s largest single-train petroleum refinery, the facility employs advanced predictive and preventive maintenance protocols to ensure uninterrupted operations. Routine maintenance activities are standard and do not impact the overall fuel supply,” the statement added.

Addressing talk of possible shortages and price hikes, Chiejina issued a direct challenge:“To those who believe this misinformation and anticipate a bullish market, we extend a challenge: We invite interested buyers to place immediate orders for up to 40 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit daily and 15 million litres of AGO daily, for the next 90 days.”

The refinery reaffirmed its pledge to transparency and Nigeria’s energy security, urging the public to dismiss rumours driven by “unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals” seeking to undermine the nation’s push for energy independence.

“For their own selfish interests, including the importation of substandard fuels under the false pretext of domestic supply shortages,” the statement said.

The 650,000-barrel-per-day facility began producing diesel and aviation fuel in January 2024, before adding petrol production in September with the goal of ending the country’s dependence on imported refined products.