Petroleum product depot owners and marketers across Nigeria have begun adjusting their ex-depot petrol prices upward, following reports that the Dangote Refinery may temporarily shut its petrol unit for maintenance and upgrades.
Checks on Saturday showed that several major depots, including Ranoil, Optima, AYM Shafa, and others, are now selling petrol at around ₦800 per litre. This represents an increase from the previous price range of about ₦740 to ₦780 per litre. Meanwhile, Dangote Refinery and Aiteo were selling at relatively lower rates of ₦702 and ₦740 per litre respectively.
Market sources say the latest price increase is closely linked to reports of a planned turnaround maintenance at the Dangote Refinery. The development has raised concerns among marketers about possible supply constraints, prompting early price adjustments at depots.
Commenting on the refinery’s operations, Vice President of Dangote Industries, Devakumar Edwin, explained that production levels in many departments have exceeded expectations. According to him, the planned maintenance is aimed at removing operational bottlenecks to boost overall output, rather than slowing production in the long term.
At the retail end, fuel prices continued to vary widely, with petrol selling between ₦739 and ₦910 per litre at major filling stations across the country as of Saturday afternoon. The situation has once again left motorists and consumers watching closely, as any further supply disruptions could push pump prices even higher in the coming days.
