Nigeria’s energy market faces fresh uncertainty as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced it will suspend petrol sales in naira from Sunday, September 28, 2025, a decision that has unsettled marketers and heightened concerns over pump prices and foreign exchange pressure.
In an email to customers at 6:42 p.m. on Friday, the refinery explained that the move became necessary after it exhausted its crude-for-naira allocation. The notice, signed by the Group Commercial Operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, was titled “Suspension of DPRP PMS Naira Sales – Effective 28th September 2025.”
The company also directed customers with ongoing naira-based transactions to formally request refunds.
“We write to inform you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has been selling petroleum products in excess of our Naira-Crude allocations and, consequently, we are unable to sustain PMS sales in Naira going forward… All customers with PMS transactions in Naira who would like a refund of their current payments should formally request the processing of their refund,” the refinery stated.
This suspension comes at a time when the refinery is also embroiled in industrial unrest following the alleged termination of more than 800 Nigerian workers — a move unions have condemned as anti-labour and vowed to resist.
This is not the first time the refinery has halted naira sales. In March 2025, a similar suspension sparked fears of dollarisation in the downstream sector, with petrol prices climbing close to N1,000 per litre.
Energy analysts warn the latest move could again destabilise the market. Jeremiah Olatide, CEO of Petroleumprice.ng, cautioned that pump prices may rise above N900 per litre if transactions are shifted predominantly to dollars, noting that Dangote Refinery had been pivotal in keeping prices relatively stable in recent months.
With the refinery seen as vital to Nigeria’s energy security, stakeholders warn that the combined pressure of forex-linked sales and labour unrest could threaten government efforts to stabilise the petroleum sector under ongoing reforms.