UK-Based Independent Investigators Clear Dangote Refinery of Importing Substandard Fuel
A United Kingdom–based energy watchdog, Impact Investigators Platform (IIP), has dismissed allegations that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery imported substandard petrol into Nigeria, describing the claims as “technically inaccurate, commercially implausible, and unsupported by verifiable evidence”.
In an investigative report signed on Friday by its lead investigator, Raymond Neil, the IIP said its independent assessment of shipping data, customs declarations, and refinery process documentation found no indication that the refinery imported or sold finished Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with sulphur levels above Nigeria’s approved limit of 50 parts per million (ppm).
Neil said the IIP launched its own investigation after media reports claimed that a vessel had delivered high-sulphur petrol to the Dangote Refinery under the guise of locally refined products.
The investigator, however, noted that the cargo in question was an intermediate feedstock; a raw material commonly traded among refineries worldwide for further processing, not a finished fuel for retail.
“Our analysis confirms that the shipment being referenced was a blending component, not a finished petrol product,” Neil said.
“It was imported within the context of refinery optimisation and was never intended for direct distribution or public sale. The claim that Dangote Refinery imported dirty fuel into Nigeria is therefore misleading and inconsistent with both technical and commercial realities.”
He emphasized that global refinery complexes, including those in Europe and Asia, regularly import intermediate streams such as high-sulphur catalytic gasoline (HSCG) or straight-run naphtha to balance their production yields.
“This is normal industry practice and it does not in any way imply that substandard or harmful fuel is being sold to consumers,” the expert said.
According to the IIP report, the Dangote Refinery’s import documentation and regulatory clearances were consistent with the rules of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which oversee feedstock imports and quality assurance.
The refinery, it said, also operates under a free trade zone licence, meaning that all materials brought in are subject to internal refining before entering the domestic fuel market.
Neil noted that his organisation’s review included a verification of laboratory test results, refinery capacity utilisation records, and inspection certificates filed with port authorities in both the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
He said none of the reviewed documents supported the claim that the refinery imported petrol ready for local consumption.
“The sulphur levels cited in the reports were associated with intermediate-grade gasoline used as a processing input, not finished fuel. To suggest otherwise is to misunderstand how refineries work. The Dangote complex is designed to upgrade such feedstocks into ultra-low-sulphur petrol through hydrodesulphurisation and other advanced refining processes,” Neil clarified.
He stressed that misreporting such technical details could erode public confidence in the refinery at a time when Nigeria is seeking to strengthen domestic refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported fuel.
“The Dangote project remains a strategic national asset. Public debate around it must be grounded in fact, not conjecture,” Neil said.
The IIP also urged Nigerian authorities to establish a rapid-response mechanism for verifying refinery operations and product quality claims to prevent misinformation from spreading unchecked.
“Transparency is key. But transparency also requires responsible reporting and technical understanding of what the data means,” Neil said.
The IIP report further commended the refinery for what it described as its “proactive compliance culture,” noting that its internal audit systems mirror the standards applied by the European Refining Association and the American Petroleum Institute.
“Our review shows that every product stream leaving the Dangote Refinery is accompanied by a certificate of quality issued by an ISO-certified laboratory,” Neil said.
“We also found evidence that these certificates are regularly submitted to NMDPRA before any local dispatch. This is the kind of governance structure that should be encouraged, not vilified.”
He concluded by reaffirming the group’s readiness to share its findings with relevant Nigerian institutions and civil society organisations to foster evidence-based discourse around the refinery’s operations.
“The energy transition requires accuracy, not alarmism. Our findings clear the Dangote Refinery of the claims of importing dirty fuel. What we found instead is a refinery engaged in legitimate global trade practice, subject to regulation, and committed to delivering cleaner fuels that meet international standards,” Neil said.
