CSOs to Tinubu: Why local refineries must be protected against saboteurs

Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association in Nigeria (BAVCCA) and the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON) have sounded the alarm on attempts to sabotage the Dangote Refinery by individuals and entities who are hell-bent on dragging Nigeria back into the dark ages of fuel importation and artificial scarcity.

At a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, National Presidents of BAVCCA and COCSON, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere and Husseini Abubakar, respectively, revealed that the Nigeria’s flagship oil refinery has achieved full energy independence, while condemning the suspension of the 15% import duty on petroleum products, calling it a deliberate attempt to undermine local refining capacity and protect the interests of fuel importers.

The groups described recent claims by Festus Osifo, President of PENGASSAN, suggesting that Dangote refinery’s output meets only about 40% of national needs as misleading and an absolute falsehood, while stating that the refinery as This is simply not true. As of November 2025, the Dangote Refinery’s production is at 100% or more of Nigeria’s requirements, rendering such assertions outdated and inaccurate. We urge all parties, including labor unions, to align with facts and support this achievement rather than undermine it for narrow agendas.

The organizations further issued those they described as saboteurs a seven-day ultimatum to cease their activities, threatening a naming and shaming campaign if they fail to comply, while calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by banning fuel importation and setting up a task force to investigate economic saboteurs.

BAVCCA and COCSON vowed to defend the Dangote Refinery as a national asset against any attempts to undermine it, while revealing
the refinery’s achievement is a significant milestone for Nigeria, as it is saving the country $1 billion in demurrage annually.
Additionally, they have scheduled a National Summit for November 22, 2025, and aims to expose the truth about the oil sector and promote accurate information.

The Statement reads:

We have called this emergency press conference today, not to celebrate alone, but to sound a loud and unmistakable alarm, and to issue a final warning to a small but powerful group of economic saboteurs who are hell-bent on dragging Nigeria back into the dark ages of fuel importation, artificial scarcity, and perpetual poverty.

The Undeniable Reality: Nigeria Has Achieved Full Energy Independence
As of today, 18th November, 2025, the Dangote Refinery is loading and dispatching more than 104 million litres of refined petroleum products daily, over 57 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Jet fuel 20 million litres and 27 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) totaling 104 million litres of petroleum products. This volume exceeds Nigeria’s total national daily consumption of approximately 70–75 million litres.

In plain language: We have more than enough locally refined fuel for every car, truck, generator, and factory in Nigeria. Fuel importation is no longer a necessity, it is now a choice. And that choice is being made only by those who profit from our collective suffering.

Furthermore, we must address and debunk recent misleading claims, such as those from Festus Osifo, President of PENGASSAN, suggesting that the refinery’s output meets only about 40% of national needs. This is simply not true. As of November 2025, the Dangote Refinery’s production is at 100% or more of Nigeria’s requirements, rendering such assertions outdated and inaccurate. We urge all parties, including labor unions, to align with facts and support this achievement rather than undermine it for narrow agendas.