NLC Commends Dangote Refinery, Urges FG to Sell Crude in Naira to Lower Fuel Prices

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has praised the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a transformative national asset, describing it as a game-changer in bridging Nigeria’s fuel supply gap, creating jobs, and restoring confidence in the nation’s industrial capacity.

Speaking during a visit to the refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Lagos State NLC Chairperson Comrade Funmi Sessi commended the scale and impact of Dangote’s investments.

“This is truly enormous and highly impressive,” she said. “We have seen a clear effort to close the gap in essential products, create jobs, and industrialise the country.”

Following the removal of petrol subsidies, the NLC noted that Nigerians faced skyrocketing fuel prices. However, Dangote’s entry into the market helped stabilise costs and provide relief to consumers.

The NLC urged the Federal Government to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in naira, arguing that purchasing crude in dollars undermines the refinery’s potential to reduce fuel prices.

“If the government truly wants to lower fuel prices and support local refining, it must sell crude oil to Dangote in naira,” the union stated.

With a daily refining capacity of 650,000 barrels, the facility can meet domestic needs and export to the West African subregion. The NLC also lauded the refinery’s production of Euro 5-compliant fuel, which meets global environmental standards.

The visit also highlighted the group’s fertiliser exports and the planned deployment of 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks to cut logistics costs and further reduce pump prices. Dangote Industries Vice President, Oil and Gas, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, stressed that the CNG fleet will make distribution more efficient without displacing existing market players.