Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended the sale of petrol in naira, a move that could further squeeze Nigerians already battling skyrocketing fuel prices and worsening foreign exchange pressure.
In an internal email to marketers sent at 6:42 p.m. on Friday, the company said the suspension would take effect from Sunday, September 28, 2025. The refinery claimed it had exhausted its crude-for-naira allocation.
The notice, signed by the Group Commercial Operations and titled “Suspension of DPRP PMS Naira Sales – Effective 28th September 2025”, ordered customers with ongoing naira-based transactions to apply for refunds.
“We write to inform you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has been selling petroleum products in excess of our Naira-Crude allocations and, consequently, we are unable to sustain PMS sales in Naira going forward,” the email read.
It added, “Kindly note that this suspension of Naira sales for PMS will be effective from Sunday, 28th of September, 2025. We will provide further updates regarding the resumption of supply once the situation has been resolved. All customers with PMS transactions in Naira who would like a refund of their current payments should formally request the processing of their refund.”
This development comes as the refinery battles public backlash over allegations of mass sackings. Labour unions claim more than 800 Nigerian workers were unjustly laid off, accusing the company of “anti-labour practices” and vowing nationwide resistance.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Friday warned that it would not allow what it described as “an unjust and insensitive corporate decision.”
This is not the first time the refinery has halted naira transactions. In March 2025, it briefly stopped sales under the crude-for-naira programme, insisting its allocations were inadequate to meet growing local demand. That decision sparked widespread fears of dollarisation in fuel sales and pushed pump prices close to N1,000 per litre.
Analysts say the fresh suspension could unleash another round of price hikes. Jeremiah Olatide, CEO of Petroleumprice.ng, warned that petrol could jump above N900 per litre, noting that Dangote’s naira sales had helped keep pump prices from spiking further in recent months.
With the refinery seen as critical to Nigeria’s energy security, stakeholders fear the twin crises—currency sales suspension and labour unrest—could cripple government efforts to stabilise the fuel market under its reform agenda.
The development is already fueling speculation that Dangote, whose refinery dominates Nigeria’s downstream sector, is tilting toward dollar-denominated sales—leaving ordinary Nigerians to bear the brunt of the fallout.