Dangote Refinery slashes diesel price to N1,020/litre

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals announced on Tuesday that it has reduced the cost of its diesel to N1,020 per litre, down from N1,075 per litre at the gantry price.

The company in a statement, said the reduction was to better serve its customers and Nigerians in general.

Recently, the refinery also reduced the ex-depot price of petrol from N950 to N890 per litre. This resulted in marketers dropping their prices with MRS selling a litre of petrol at N925.

Commenting on the latest reduction of N55 per litre for diesel, a Development Economist and Public Policy Analyst, Prof Ken Ife, said the Dangote refinery sacrificed over N10bn billion to ensure the availability of petrol at a uniform price across the country during the yuletide period.

Ife who spoke in a TV interview on Tuesday, explained that for years, the equalisation fund had been responsible for managing the price differentials and transportation costs involved in distributing petroleum across the country, saying the government owes marketers over N80bn of the fund.

He said the facility is steering Nigeria away from its traditional focus on petrol towards a diversified range of petroleum-based exports.

He added that with major international players such as Saudi Aramco purchasing refined products from Nigeria, the country is swiftly becoming a key player in the global petroleum market.