The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited has concluded plans to increase crude oil allocation to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to seven cargoes in May 2026, up from the five cargoes supplied in previous months.
The move reflects NNPC’s commitment to prioritising domestic crude supply in the coming months.
Recently, David Bird, Chief Executive Officer of the refinery, disclosed that the facility is expected to receive between 13 and 15 crude cargoes monthly under the crude-for-naira programme but currently receives only five.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, Bird said: “Under the agreement, we should be getting about 13 to 15 cargoes a month. That’s what we could process to meet Nigeria’s domestic fuel requirements.
“Currently, we’re only getting five. So, that’s an underperformance against that pre-agreed volume contract.”
He further noted that the gap between crude purchase prices and prevailing premiums represents revenue losses to international traders rather than Nigeria.
“That value between the purchase price and the premium we’re now seeing is money Nigeria is leaking to the international trading community,” he added.
Clarifying the controversial crude-for-naira policy, Bird explained that the initiative is often misunderstood.
“Crude-for-naira is not there to benefit Dangote Refinery. It is meant to provide resilience to foreign exchange. It is in the country’s interest to process domestic crude in local currency,” he said.
Despite the supply constraints, he maintained that the refinery is operating at full capacity, supplying both domestic and regional markets.
Meanwhile, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, recently led a delegation to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Ibeju-Lekki for high-level discussions aimed at strengthening collaboration.
The visit, which included a facility tour, focused on deepening operational and commercial ties between both organisations, with a renewed commitment to a shared vision for Nigeria’s energy future.
Ojulari commended Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, for delivering the refinery, describing it as a landmark project that positions Nigeria as a major downstream hub in Africa.
He described the partnership as one that will “unlock synergies across assets, infrastructure, capital, and markets, while providing visibility of all NNPC–Dangote business relations.”
