The Management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has dismissed as false and misleading reports suggesting that the company export petroleum products to Lomé, Togo, only for them to be re-imported back into Nigeria.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the refinery described the claims as “baseless and unsubstantiated,” and said it was addressing them not as a matter of routine but in the interest of public transparency.
“The allegation is not supported by verifiable trade data, commercial logic, or the operational realities of Dangote Refinery,” the management said, insisting the claims amount to deliberate misinformation.
At the heart of the refinery’s rebuttal is a straightforward economic argument: the numbers simply do not add up.
Management disclosed that logistics costs alone moving products from the refinery to Lomé and back into Nigeria would run between US$82–90 per metric ton, a burden that would wipe out any potential profit margin and make the purported trade route commercially unviable.
“No rational producer would incur additional shipping, storage, financing, and handling costs only for products to re-enter and compete in its primary market,” the statement said.
The company further noted that it does not offer export discounts large enough to create any arbitrage opportunity between export and domestic market, closing off what might otherwise have been an economic incentive for such a scheme.
Beyond economics, the refinery pointed to legal and contractual protections embedded in all its sales and tender agreements, which expressly prohibit the resale or re-importation of its products into Nigeria.
Management added that the refinery operates stringent product traceability protocols, including detailed records of lifting points, nominated vessels, counterparties, and declared destinations. Noting that these measures ensure full visibility and accountability across the supply chain.
The denial carries broader significance given the refinery’s stated mission. Since beginning operations, the Dangote refinery has positioned itself as a solution to Nigeria’s chronic dependence on imported fuel.
Management argued that facilitating re-importation would directly contradict that mission, strain Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and weaken national industrial growth.
“Dangote Refinery remains focused on its mission to enhance energy security, support local refining, and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s industrial development,” the statement concluded.
