By Barbara Nwaiwu
Members of the Jetties and Petroleum Tank Farms Owners of Nigeria (JETFON) have urged the Federal Government to cancel recently approved petrol import licences, insisting that continued fuel importation threatens local refining investments and Nigeria’s economic growth.
JETFON made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday through its Executive Secretary, Mr Olayiwola Temitope, amid ongoing disputes over fresh import approvals granted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The association also distanced itself from a proposed lawsuit by the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over the import licences.
According to the group, it does not share DAPPMAN’s position on the issuance of fresh import permits, maintaining that local refining capacity can adequately meet domestic fuel demand.
The development follows a suit filed by Dangote Refinery at the Federal High Court in Lagos challenging the approval of new petrol import licences, which the company argued contravened Nigeria’s “Nigeria First” policy and provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act limiting imports to periods of insufficient local supply.
Reacting to the refinery’s legal action, DAPPMAN had argued that restricting imports could create a monopoly in the downstream sector and reportedly threatened legal action to defend the licences granted by the regulator.
However, JETFON maintained that continued import approvals undermine domestic refining operations and discourage investments in the sector.
The association noted that the NMDPRA recently issued import licences covering more than 600,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products despite increasing local refining output led by the Dangote Refinery and other domestic plants.
While petroleum marketers have defended imports as necessary for market competition, the tank farm owners argued that Nigeria’s growing refining capacity makes foreign imports economically unnecessary.
JETFON further called on the Federal Government and the NMDPRA to halt petrol importation and revoke existing licences to protect the economy and promote industrial development.
According to the association, “Relying on foreign refined products leaves the local economy vulnerable to external supply chain shocks, international logistics disruptions, and continuous foreign exchange pressures that weaken the naira.”
“By prioritising local refineries, Nigeria can build a self-sustaining and secure domestic fuel supply ecosystem,” the statement read in part.
The association also referenced the NMDPRA April factsheet, which showed that Nigeria’s daily Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption increased from 47.3 million litres per day in March to 51.1 million litres per day in April.
The data further revealed that fuel imports dropped by 37.3 per cent during the same period, declining from 5.9 million litres daily in March to 3.7 million litres daily in April.
According to the figures, domestic refining output, driven largely by the Dangote Refinery, supplied about 40.7 million litres daily to the local market, a development JETFON said demonstrates the capacity of local refineries to satisfy national demand.
