Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited has announced that self-collection gantry sales of petroleum products will resume at its facility starting Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The move reverses an earlier directive that temporarily suspended gantry access, requiring marketers to rely exclusively on the refinery’s Free Delivery Scheme.
The refinery’s Group Commercial Operations Department confirmed in a statement that while gantry self-collection is reinstated, the free delivery service will remain operational. Marketers are encouraged to register their outlets to benefit from direct supply at no extra cost.
Dangote Refinery had initially suspended gantry access on September 18 to encourage wider adoption of the Free Delivery Scheme, which delivers petroleum products directly to registered retail outlets and helps curb transactions with unregistered marketers. The suspension was also intended to improve operational efficiency within the downstream supply chain.
The temporary policy adjustment had raised concerns among independent marketers and retail station owners who were still dependent on direct gantry access and had not registered for the Free Delivery Scheme. Friday’s announcement is expected to ease these worries, giving marketers the flexibility to choose between self-collection and direct delivery.
Industry experts see the dual system as a potential boost to efficiency and transparency in the downstream sector. Jeremiah Olatide, CEO of Petroleumprice.ng, noted that the initiative could lower distribution costs and encourage innovative approaches to petroleum retailing across Nigeria.
The policy shift comes amid tensions between Dangote Refinery, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN). NUPENG had raised concerns over unionisation of the refinery’s truck drivers, while DAPPMAN criticized the Free Delivery Scheme, claiming it forced marketers to depend on the refinery’s transport fleet.
Dangote Refinery insists the Free Delivery Scheme complements gantry self-collection, aiming to stabilise supply, reduce costs, and minimise product diversion. By offering both options, the company hopes to maintain fuel availability, support independent marketers, and modernise the nation’s downstream petroleum sector.
