The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to prioritise selling crude oil to the Dangote Refinery in naira.

NLC chairwoman in Lagos, Funmi Sesi, made the appeal during a Tuesday tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Ltd. by Labour Writers Association of Nigeria members and NLC officials.

Ms Sesi said compelling the refinery to import crude or buy locally in dollars undermined the promise of reduced fuel prices for Nigerians.

“This country has crude oil in abundance. Why is Dangote still importing crude or paying in hard currency for locally produced crude?” she stated. “If the government truly wants to lower fuel prices and support local refining, it must sell crude oil to Dangote in naira.”

According to her, sourcing crude locally in local currency would significantly reduce operational costs and lead to a sustainable drop in fuel prices. The union leader praised Dangote Ltd. for creating a transformative national asset that helps bridge Nigeria’s fuel supply gap, creates jobs, and boosts industrial capacity.

She said the scale and strategic importance of Dangote Group’s investments were already delivering measurable benefits to Nigerians.

“Today, we have seen the refinery, the fertiliser plant, and other investments in this axis. The size and impact are enormous and impressive,” she said.

She described the projects as clear efforts to improve essential product availability, create jobs, and advance Nigeria’s industrialisation.

Following the removal of petrol subsidies, Nigerians faced a sharp rise in petrol costs. She said Dangote’s refinery entry helped stabilise prices. Ms Sesi noted that Dangote’s operations had significantly lowered PMS and other refined product prices, demonstrating private sector leadership in the industry.

“With a 650,000-barrel daily capacity, this refinery can serve Nigeria and West Africa. We also saw large vessels exporting fertilisers to other countries,” she said.

She praised Aliko Dangote for building a fully operational, world-class refinery that meets domestic and regional refined petroleum needs. Ms Sesi also commended the production of Euro-5-compliant fuel with reduced sulphur content, aligning with global environmental standards and enhancing Nigeria’s market reputation.

“This is the pride we want — a Nigerian company producing at global standards, changing the narrative, and boosting our global standing,” she said.

She also lauded Dangote Fertiliser Company, which already exports to international markets, urging the government to provide support to improve food security and reduce imported agricultural inputs.

Dangote Industries vice-president (oil and gas), Devakumar Edwin, said the refinery was addressing Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined products. He said it was setting a foundation for a sustainable, competitive refining industry that would benefit the national economy.

Mr Edwin revealed plans to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks to distribute refined petroleum products nationwide. He stated that the CNG trucks would ensure that domestic refining benefits and lower fuel prices are fully passed on to Nigerian consumers.

According to him, the CNG fleet would reduce logistics costs — a major contributor to pump prices.

“The deployment of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks will help pass down domestic refining benefits and lower product prices to consumers,” he said.

He clarified that the aim was to improve distribution efficiency, not displace existing operators.

Mr Edwin added that CNG trucks are environmentally friendlier and cheaper to run, helping to make refined products more affordable nationwide.

(NAN)