The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said it is in support of Dangote Refinery’s distribution plan.
According to IPMAN, the initiative by the Dangote Refinery to deliver petrol and diesel at no cost to marketers nationwide will make fuel cheaper.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday, IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, commended billionaire entrepreneur Aliko Dangote for identifying an issue within the sector and taking steps to address it.
In addition to ensuring that fuel is readily available at people’s doorsteps throughout the country, the IPMAN representative stated that Dangote’s new initiative will alleviate marketers from incurring unnecessary expenses.
“If you look at the Dangote statement, it is a strong policy statement. If you read down that statement, you will understand that he foresaw a lot of problems in the oil and gas industry and also decided to tackle them.
“It is something that we welcome with a lot of cheers because it is going to bring fuel cheaper to our doorpost.
“Our pipelines have gone for years, nobody is talking about the pipelines wired all over the country from all the whole 21 depots. Products are not being moved. We are suffering the brunt of bringing these products from the seashores of the country, where DAPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) members have their tank farms.
“But if you look at Dangote’s statement, you will see that a heavy load has been lifted out of the independent marketers,” Ukadike said.
On Sunday, the Dangote Refinery declared the complimentary distribution of petrol and diesel to marketers, dealers, and other significant users nationwide.
It announced that it has acquired 4,000 brand-new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers to launch the initiative on August 15, 2025.
Nevertheless, this announcement was met with grievances from oil marketers represented by the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).
They expressed concerns that it would disadvantage depot owners, truck operators, and retail outlets that have exclusive agreements for the direct supply of petrol and diesel to large corporations and multinational companies.
Conversely, the spokesperson for IPMAN contested this viewpoint, asserting that as a refinery, Dangote is entitled to seek more efficient methods for delivering his products to the marketers
