By Oke Peter
The recent visit by the management of NNPC to Dangote Refinery marks a significant shift in tone and direction in Nigeria’s petroleum industry. Beyond a routine corporate engagement, the visit signals an intentional reset in relations between two institutions whose cooperation is critical to national energy security, market stability, and economic growth. At a time when Nigeria is striving to reduce fuel imports, conserve foreign exchange, and strengthen domestic refining capacity, alignment between both organisations is not just desirable but necessary.
Under the previous management led by Mele Kyari, the relationship between NNPC and Dangote Refinery was widely perceived as strained. The tension stemmed from a mix of commercial disagreements, policy uncertainty, and structural transition within the oil sector. As Nigeria moved from a subsidy regime toward a deregulated market, questions arose over pricing benchmarks, crude supply agreements, foreign exchange exposure, and market dominance. Dangote Refinery, as the largest single-train refinery in the world, entered the downstream market at a time of significant reform, and its scale naturally disrupted established supply chains and trading arrangements.
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Bayo Ojulari
