Lagos, Nigeria – August 14, 2025
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to end the importation of crude oil for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and instead supply locally-produced crude in naira, a move it says will reduce operational expenses and bring down fuel prices nationwide.
Speaking during a media tour of the 650,000-barrels-per-day facility in Lagos on Wednesday morning, Lagos NLC Chairperson Funmi Sesi said requiring the refinery to purchase crude in foreign currency undermines its cost efficiency. She added that selling in naira would strengthen the refinery’s role in lowering pump prices, boosting energy security, and creating jobs.
Sesi also praised the refinery’s capacity to produce Euro-5 compliant fuel, describing it as a transformative asset for Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
The appeal comes more than a year after President Bola Tinubu’s administration directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to sell crude to domestic refineries, including Dangote, in local currency to ease foreign exchange pressures.
While the policy was approved in July 2024, industry stakeholders say there has been little clarity on the extent of its implementation.
