The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has taken a major step toward its nationwide fuel supply initiative with the arrival of 4,000 brand-new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks in Lagos. This marks a critical milestone ahead of the refinery’s planned rollout of fuel distribution operations scheduled to begin on August 15.
The development was confirmed on Saturday through a post on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of Dangote Group. The post featured a video showing the arrival of the vessel carrying the trucks, followed by footage of cranes offloading the vehicles at the port. An aerial view showcased hundreds of the newly imported trucks aligned in a large formation, ready for deployment.
“We are delighted to receive 4,000 brand-new CNG trucks as part of our bold distribution initiative, championing cleaner energy and more efficient transportation across Nigeria and beyond,” the post read.
This latest delivery aligns with Dangote’s N720 billion investment plan to transform Nigeria’s downstream oil sector by facilitating direct delivery of refined fuel products across the country—eliminating third-party logistics challenges and cutting out intermediaries.
Starting mid-August, the refinery will begin supplying petrol and diesel directly to filling stations, manufacturing plants, and other large-scale fuel consumers, streamlining distribution and lowering costs across the board.
What This Means:
As previously reported by Nairametrics in June, the privately-owned refinery is projected to absorb over N1.07 trillion annually in distribution-related expenses. This is expected to translate into savings of more than N1.7 trillion each year for Nigerians through reduced fuel and transportation costs.
Key highlights of the initiative include:
- Support for over 42 million MSMEs across the country by improving access to affordable fuel.
- Revival of dormant fuel stations and creation of more than 15,000 new jobs across the logistics and supply chain sector.
- Meeting Nigeria’s daily fuel demand of 65 million litres—broken down into 45 million litres of PMS (petrol), 15 million litres of diesel, and 5 million litres of aviation fuel.
- Environmental impact: The deployment of CNG-powered trucks will reduce carbon emissions and support the Federal Government’s efforts to promote greener, cleaner energy alternatives.
The initiative has already earned commendation from stakeholders including the Presidency, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and energy sector experts, who view it as a transformative effort to reduce distribution costs, stabilise fuel prices, and modernise the country’s downstream petroleum landscape.
