Multiple filling stations across Nigeria have temporarily shuttered operations for five days following Dangote Refinery’s unexpected fuel price reduction to N835 per liter on April 16. MRS stations along Abuja’s Kubwa Expressway and other locations have remained closed as operators grapple with potential losses from unsold higher-priced inventory. “It is because of Dangote’s latest price drop. The filling station had old stock, which it couldn’t sell at a loss,” an MRS official told DAILY POST on condition of anonymity. While some stations claim the closures are for maintenance purposes, industry insiders confirm the shutdowns are directly linked to price adjustment challenges. Billy Gillis-Harry, National President of Petroleum Retailers Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, criticized the volatility, stating: “Indiscriminate price adjustment, whether downward or upward, is not good for the petroleum downstream sector and the Nigerian economy.” The closures highlight growing tensions in Nigeria’s evolving fuel market, where Dangote’s combined downward price adjustments of N45 per liter within weeks have created significant ripple effects. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has responded by reducing its own retail prices to N935 per liter in Abuja, leaving consumers currently paying between N890 and N950 nationwide depending on location.
Source: Daily Post Ng
