Dangote Refinery free delivery scheme replaces self-collection sales from September 18, urging marketers to onboard as tensions grow with unions and marketers

Dangote Refinery free delivery scheme has officially replaced the long-standing self-collection model for petroleum products at the company’s Ibeju-Lekki facility, effective 18 September 2025.

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The move, which was confirmed in a communication to marketing partners, has suspended all gantry-based sales until further notice.

The correspondence, issued by the Group Commercial Operations Department of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, instructed marketers to cease all payments related to current Pro Forma Invoices (PFIs) tied to self-collection. Any such transactions made after the effective date, the firm said, “will not be honoured.”

The shift is described by the refinery as an operational adjustment designed to increase delivery efficiency and limit access to unregistered marketers.

The company is now pushing marketers toward its Free Delivery Scheme, which provides direct-to-retail station shipments using Dangote’s own logistics network.

“We encourage all active and newly onboarded customers to register for the DPRP Free Delivery Scheme, which remains fully operational and offers a seamless delivery experience to your station,” the statement read.

However, the decision comes amid a growing standoff between Dangote Refinery and key players in the petroleum sector, including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).

NUPENG has criticised the refinery for allegedly resisting unionisation of its truck drivers, despite a previously brokered government agreement.

Meanwhile, DAPPMAN has raised concerns over the delivery model, arguing that marketers are being forced to rely solely on Dangote’s fleet—often at higher commercial transport rates.

Dangote Group, for its part, maintains that the scheme ensures supply stability and curbs product diversion, insisting the move is in the public interest.

Industry observers believe the suspension of gantry sales may particularly affect independent marketers and smaller retail operators, many of whom had relied on direct pickup to manage costs and retain pricing flexibility.

While the company has apologised for any disruption caused, it has stood firm on its new strategy, viewing the shift as part of a broader plan to centralise operations, ensure accountability, and enforce regulatory compliance.

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The development is likely to deepen existing debates around labour rights, competition fairness, and price controls in Nigeria’s increasingly turbulent downstream oil sector.