President Bola Tinubu
Subject: Exposing the Emerging Monopoly Threat in Nigeria’s Petroleum Sector by Aliko Dangote
Your Excellency,
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria,
State House, Abuja.
Your Excellency, Fellow Nigerians,
With utmost respect and patriotic concern, we write to bring to your urgent attention the growing alarm and apprehension across the petroleum distribution landscape in Nigeria, triggered by recent developments involving Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and his business strategies surrounding the Dangote Refinery.
As patriotic citizens, civil society advocates, stakeholders, and concerned Nigerians, we are compelled by national interest to sound the alarm bell against what appears to be a carefully orchestrated attempt to monopolize the petroleum downstream sector, under the guise of private investment.
THE FACTS BEFORE US:
Gasoline Retailers Raise the Red Flag:
According to credible media reports from Punch Newspaper and Bloomberg, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), comprising over 200,000 petrol stations, has expressed grave concerns over a distribution model being proposed by Dangote Refinery. They describe it as one that “poses an existential threat” to their operations.
Job Losses and Market Suffocation Loom:
PETROAN warns that the Dangote Group’s restrictive distribution model could push thousands of independent marketers out of business, triggering massive unemployment and strangulating competition. Their statement describes the move as a “job loss threat to Nigeria” and urges the Federal Government to immediately intervene.
Acquisition Spree and Refinery Dominance:
Alhaji Dangote, through his conglomerate, has not only completed the massive 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery project but is also reported to be buying up existing refineries, allegedly including the Port Harcourt Refinery. This raises serious questions about fair competition, market equity, and economic justice.
An Alarming Attempt at Market Capture:
Beyond refining, the Dangote Group seeks to control distribution and pricing, effectively making the entire West African petroleum market subject to a single entity. Such domination is antithetical to the spirit of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the open market economy that Your Excellency and this administration have consistently promised Nigerians.
OUR DEMANDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Immediate Government Investigation:
We urge President Tinubu to direct the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and relevant agencies to launch a transparent investigation into the fuel distribution strategy of the Dangote Group to determine whether it violates Nigeria’s competition laws. - Halt All Monopolistic Takeovers:
We strongly recommend that the Federal Government places a moratorium on the sale or acquisition of any further public refineries or strategic petroleum infrastructure by any single individual or corporate entity—especially where such action undermines free market competition. - Protect Independent Retailers and Workers:
Small and medium petroleum marketers form the backbone of local fuel access across towns, villages, and remote communities. Any policy or private strategy that threatens their survival must be rebuffed in the interest of national economic balance and employment. - Ensure Transparency and Stakeholder Inclusion:
We call on Your Excellency to convene an emergency stakeholder meeting involving the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, PETROAN, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the Dangote Group, civil society organisations, and labour unions to determine a sustainable and inclusive model for fuel distribution in the country.
A FINAL WORD TO PRESIDENT TINUBU
Mr. President, Nigerians voted for you because they trust your pedigree in defending economic liberalism, fairness, and enterprise development. As you fight daily to stabilize the economy, you must not allow any individual or group to weaponize private investment as a tool of national economic capture. We believe you will not fold your arms while a monopoly is being entrenched—against your vision of a Nigeria that works for all.
A nation where only one man determines who sells petrol, at what price, and through which outlets, is not a free nation. Let history remember you as the leader who stopped economic tyranny before it began.
We remain committed to a prosperous Nigeria where opportunity, access, and enterprise are not monopolized but democratized.
Yours in patriotic duty,
Yahaya Danjuma
Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Economic Justice
Silvia Okpanachi
Nigeria Youth Vanguard for Economic Freedom
Signed:
For the People and in the Interest of Nigeria
17th June, 2025
