FG Moves to Probe Petrol Prices as Dangote Refinery Adds N85 Per Litre
By Aboki Forex —
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja to tighten oversight of the deregulated petrol market. The move follows a fresh price adjustment by Dangote Petroleum Refinery that has pushed pump prices higher across the country.
Dangote raised its Premium Motor Spirit ex-gantry price from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, a rise of N85 or about 6.7%, citing higher international crude oil prices. Some major filling station operators have adjusted their pump prices in response, with motorists now paying between N1,395 and N1,460 per litre in parts of the country.
What the Two Agencies Will Do
Under the agreement, the FCCPC and NMDPRA will share market intelligence, coordinate investigation and enforcement activities, and establish clear mechanisms for collaboration. The agencies will also sharpen procedures covering product metering, fuel quality monitoring, joint investigations and consumer complaints.
Areas of particular focus include collusive pricing, price fixing, cartel behaviour, product withholding, under-dispensing and anti-competitive market allocation.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman Tunji Bello was clear that his commission does not set or approve pump prices in a deregulated market, but said it retains the power to act when business conduct breaches competition rules or harms consumers.
Bello said: "As the FCCPC has consistently stated, it does not regulate or approve petroleum prices in a deregulated downstream market."
He added that the commission would pursue suspected cartel behaviour, price fixing and any other conduct that undermines fair competition.
Bello said: "FCCPC and NMDPRA will deepen information sharing, enhance market intelligence, coordinate enforcement activities, and establish clear mechanisms for collaboration."
Oversight Across the Value Chain
NMDPRA Chief Executive Rabiu Abdullahi Umar said the agreement will extend oversight across the full petroleum value chain, covering refining, transportation, storage, wholesale and retail operations.
Umar pointed to the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021 and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 as the legal basis for the two agencies working together. He noted that their collaboration had been ongoing since 2022.
Umar said: "Today, we translate that statutory mandate into an actionable operational framework."
Court Restrains NMDPRA Over Dangote Refinery
A Federal High Court in Lagos has barred the NMDPRA from shutting down or interfering with operations at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery inside the Lekki Free Zone.
Justice Akintayo Aluko made the order on Monday while ruling on a motion ex parte marked FHC/L/CS/1174/26. The application was filed and argued by counsel to Dangote Petroleum Refinery Nigeria Limited, led by Olawale Akoni and Abimbola Akeredolu, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
What It Means for Consumers
The enforcement push matters for Nigerian businesses and consumers because it tests whether the deregulated market can be policed for conduct rather than price. If the FCCPC and NMDPRA follow through on metering, product withholding and collusion checks, marketers face closer scrutiny at a moment when every N85 increase at the gantry lands directly on the pump and on transport costs.