The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has dissociated itself from a strike action declared by its Western Zone against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s fuel distribution model, describing the move as unauthorized and misleading.
The Western Zone, led by Chairman, Basorun Joseph Akanni, and Acting Secretary, Adeleke Adeoye, had in a statement accused the Dangote Refinery of violating the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by deploying its own trucks for fuel distribution.
The zone had also directed marketers in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.
But in a swift reaction, IPMAN’s National Executive Council (NEC), through its National Ex-Officio, Douglas Iyike, dismissed the directive, insisting that the zone lacked the constitutional powers to call for a nationwide strike.
Iyike, a former chairman of IPMAN Benin Depot, explained that the strike announcement did not emanate from the national leadership led by Alhaji Maigandi Shittima.
He described Dangote’s fuel distribution model as not only legal but also beneficial to marketers and the public.
“The PIA permits private refineries to own trucks and filling stations. Dangote has done no harm to the downstream sector. On the contrary, his model will reduce multiple levies imposed by tanker drivers, create access to credit facilities for marketers, and revive struggling businesses,” Iyike said.
The national leadership further emphasized that Dangote Refinery, which began large-scale fuel production earlier this year with an estimated 650,000 barrels per day capacity, remains one of the biggest investments in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector and a key driver of job creation.
Iyike cautioned against attempts by “a few individuals” to undermine the benefits of the refinery’s operations, urging marketers to continue normal business activities.
“IPMAN nationwide is solidly behind Dangote Refinery, and we encourage our members to ignore the Western Zone’s directive. We must focus on supporting initiatives that ease fuel supply challenges, not create artificial scarcity,” he added.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, located in Lekki, Lagos, has been hailed by industry experts as a potential game-changer for Nigeria’s fuel supply chain, with projections that it could save the country up to $10 billion annually in foreign exchange spent on fuel imports.
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