Aliko Dangote has said that Nigeria’s decades-long fuel queues have ended, making the disclosure on Friday after meeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House in Abuja and attributing the development to improved domestic supply from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
He said the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stabilised domestic supply for the first time in more than five decades of recurring fuel queues.
Dangote traced Nigeria’s struggle with fuel queues back to 1972 and said current refining output has removed the problem nationwide.
He explained that the refinery has started supplying fuel to Europe and the United States, marking Nigeria’s entry as a global exporter and reducing domestic fuel queues.
Dangote said the refinery can supply 50 million litres daily and that even during maintenance cycles no fuel queues have appeared.
He announced that Nigeria will meet its domestic consumption while exporting an extra 15 to 20 million litres daily to neighbouring West African countries from February to prevent regional fuel queues.
He said neighbouring states will have stable access to fuel because they can now buy officially from Nigeria, reducing smuggling driven by past fuel queues.
Dangote stated that an expansion project will raise capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028, surpassing Reliance Industries of India and positioning Nigeria as a global refining hub with no fuel queues.
He confirmed that piling work for the refinery expansion will begin in January 2026 as part of a long-term plan to prevent future fuel queues.
On fertilizer production, he said Nigeria will become Africa’s largest supplier by 2028 with 12 million tonnes of urea, strengthening regional trade in a way that supports industries affected by past fuel queues.
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Dangote linked recent petroleum price fluctuations to competition with imports and continued smuggling caused by wide price differences that previously contributed to fuel queues.
Dangote said diesel and gasoline prices will remain stable as domestic supply improves, making fuel queues unlikely to return.
He expressed long-term commitment to national development and said his investments prioritise energy security and industrial growth that remove the systemic causes of fuel queues.
He endorsed the Nigerian government’s “naira for crude” policy, describing it as a strategic initiative that sustains local refining and prevents external shocks that might create new fuel queues.
Dangote highlighted export challenges caused by congested ports and confirmed plans to open the Olokola Deep Sea Port to support the wider industrial ecosystem and avoid logistical issues that previously intensified fuel queues.
He said Nigeria must prioritise manufacturing and industrialisation to avert economic setbacks similar to the collapse of the textile sector, which he described as a lesson in avoiding dependency that leads to fuel queues.
Dangote said his meeting with President Tinubu was cordial and focused on energy, industrial expansion and national infrastructure needed to ensure fuel queues never return.
