Nigerian filling stations that depend on Dangote Refinery’s premium motor spirit have been forced to shut down because of operational challenges at the refinery. The $20 billion Lekki facility in Lagos, Africa’s largest refinery, cut its crude intake to fewer than 300,000 barrels per day in October 2025—half the 600,000 barrels per day it was processing in July and well below its design capacity. Reports indicate that these setbacks are likely to continue into next year, sustaining pressure on gasoline prices.
The reduced crude intake has triggered petrol‑production outages. Since late August, the refinery’s residue fluid catalytic cracker unit has struggled, and although it is expected to resume operation this week, significant work remains on the gasoline‑making unit, which will have to shut down again in January 2026. Consequently, fuel supply in the Nigerian market has dropped sharply.
MRS filling stations in Abuja, Kubwa and the Lugbe Expressway have closed due to the refinery’s failure to deliver fuel. Other Dangote retail partners, such as Optima and Ardova, have been compelled to source fuel from major oil markets to stay operational. The supply disruption has driven fuel prices upward, with MRS and other Dangote partners raising their price to N950 per litre, up from N851 in Abuja. Additional stations—including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, AA Rano, Ranoil, Total, Mobil, Empire and NIPCO—have lifted pump prices to between N940 and N955 per litre in Abuja and surrounding areas.
The temporary fuel‑supply glitch has been directly linked to the operational setbacks at Dangote Refinery. The national presidents of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria have confirmed that the price hike stems from this supply interruption. The episode underscores the pivotal role of Dangote Refinery in Nigeria’s fuel supply chain and the urgent need for the plant to resolve its operational issues to ensure a stable national fuel supply.
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