Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has reignited a storm in Nigeria’s oil sector, alleging that the country’s reported daily petrol consumption figures are heavily inflated and manipulated by corrupt interests. Speaking during a visit by Global CEO Africa to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the industrialist claimed Nigeria consumes just 33 million litres of petrol daily — sharply contradicting the government’s data of 45 to 50 million litres.
Dangote accused powerful players of bloating consumption figures — once pegged as high as 90 million litres per day — to profit from fuel subsidies. “We don’t have that number of vehicles in Nigeria,” he said. He described the sector as riddled with corruption and labelled the oil trade a “mafia business” he had initially avoided due to its murky operations. “Oil in Nigeria is very messy,” he added, noting that the Dangote Group only entered refining to help end Africa’s dependency on fuel imports.
Industry players, including the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria (CORAN), partly agreed with Dangote, acknowledging widespread corruption and irregularities in reporting. However, they maintained that petrol consumption fluctuates due to seasonal demand, fuel smuggling, and infrastructure factors. IPMAN said the real range could be anywhere between 35 and 40 million litres, depending on the time of year.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has yet to respond to Dangote’s latest claims. Previously, the regulator had reported daily consumption figures of 50 million litres, citing festive season spikes and buffer stock. It has also had public spats with Dangote over fuel quality, refinery licensing, and the country’s continued dependence on imports. The NMDPRA claimed that products from the Dangote refinery had higher sulphur content than imported fuel — a claim the billionaire strongly denied.
As the debate over Nigeria’s true fuel consumption intensifies, calls are growing for an independent audit by the National Bureau of Statistics or another impartial body. “Until then,” said CORAN’s spokesperson Eche Idoko, “this argument will continue to resurface. Our porous borders and vested interests make it difficult to know what’s truly consumed.”
