Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, has pledged that petrol prices will continue to fall below N740 per litre nationwide, as his refinery ramps up supply and reduces gantry loading charges to N699/litre.

According to the industrialist. the move is intended to deliver immediate relief to Nigerians grappling with economic pressures and soaring transport costs.

The assurance follows Sunday’s rollout at MRS stations in Lagos, where pump prices dropped to N739/litre from N885, with nationwide expansion beginning Tuesday. Dangote also lowered the minimum offtake threshold from 2 million litres to 500,000 litres, opening the door for independent marketers such as IPMAN to participate in distribution.

“Nigerians will benefit from local refining. Importers can lose—so long as you gain,” Dangote declared, stressing that his refinery produces straight-run fuels of higher quality compared to imported blends. He further revealed plans to deploy thousands of compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to strengthen distribution networks and reduce reliance on traditional logistics bottlenecks.

Dangote framed the refinery as a “national asset” under siege from vested interests profiting from fuel imports. “This business must not fail,” he insisted, positioning the refinery as a bulwark against external pressures and as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s energy independence.

The announcement comes amid Dangote’s escalating feud with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which he accuses of sabotaging domestic refining by issuing import licences despite local capacity. Analysts say the refinery’s aggressive pricing strategy is both a consumer win and a direct challenge to entrenched import cartels.

For ordinary Nigerians, the cuts promise tangible relief. Transport unions report early signs of fare reductions in Lagos, while small businesses anticipate lower operating costs. Yet critics warn that without regulatory clarity, price wars could destabilize the market.

The refinery’s trajectory has become a symbol of Nigeria’s broader struggle to balance industrial self-sufficiency with entrenched interests. Dangote’s vow to keep prices falling underscores both the refinery’s economic importance and its political weight in shaping the country’s energy future.