The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the federal government to prioritise selling crude oil to Dangote Refinery in Naira, arguing the move will lower fuel prices and strengthen local refining capacity.
Speaking during a tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertilizer Ltd with Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) members and NLC officials, Lagos State , NLC chairperson Funmi Sesi , warned that compelling the refinery to import crude or pay in dollars for domestic crude undermines the promise of cheaper fuel.
“This country has crude oil in abundance. Why is Dangote still importing crude or paying in hard currency for locally produced crude?” she asked. “If the government truly wants to lower fuel prices and support local refining, it must sell crude oil to Dangote in Naira.”
Sesi said sourcing crude locally in local currency would cut operational costs and sustain lower pump prices. She described Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day facility as a transformative national asset bridging Nigeria’s fuel supply gap, creating jobs, and boosting industrial capacity.
Following the removal of petrol subsidies, Nigerians faced a sharp rise in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) costs, she noted, adding that Dangote’s entry into the market has stabilised prices and delivered Euro-5 fuel with lower sulphur content, meeting global standards.
Sesi also commended Dangote Fertilizer Company’s exports and called for more government support to bolster food security.
Dangote Industries Vice President for Oil and Gas, Devakumar Edwin, said the refinery was reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel and planned to deploy 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks nationwide to cut logistics costs, a major contributor to pump prices.
Edwin stressed the CNG fleet would not displace existing operators but would improve efficiency and pass cost savings to consumers.
The federal government in April reaffirmed its commitment to the Crude and Refined Product Sales in Naira initiative to ease foreign exchange pressure and boost long-term energy security.
