Dangote Declares Fuel Queues ‘Gone Forever’, Says Refinery Ready to Supply 50m Litres Daily

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Friday assured Nigerians that the era of petrol scarcity and long fuel queues “is gone forever,” as the Dangote Refinery begins sustained supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the domestic market.

Speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Dangote disclosed that the refinery has already informed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of its capacity to supply 50 million litres of PMS daily, well above Nigeria’s daily consumption.

“Historically, Nigeria has battled fuel queues since 1972. For the first time, we are eliminating those queues, not through imports but by producing locally,” Dangote said. “Even when we were servicing the refinery, there were no queues. I can assure you that queues are now history.”

He further revealed that from February, the refinery will have an excess output of between 15 and 20 million litres daily, allowing Nigeria to export surplus products to neighbouring countries.

“Even our neighbours won’t experience queues because they can buy from us,” he added.

Dangote noted that several local industries, especially plastics manufacturers who previously spent over $400 million annually on imported inputs, will now receive full local supply of raw materials.

The Africa’s richest man outlined an ambitious expansion plan that will see the refinery grow from its current 650,000 barrels per day capacity to 1.4 million barrels by 2028.

This will surpass India’s Reliance Refinery, currently the world’s largest at 1.25 million barrels per day.

“We have already signed the necessary agreements. Construction piling begins before the end of January, and we will deliver on schedule,” he assured.

He also disclosed a plan to expand urea production to 12 million tonnes per year—placing Nigeria ahead of Russia and Qatar as the world’s largest producer. “Our goal is to use our fertiliser company to supply the entire African continent,” Dangote said.