Fuel Prices Jump Again: Ex-Depot Petrol Hits ₦800/Litre as Dangote Refinery Suspends PMS Unit for Upgrades

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Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market has been jolted by another sharp price increase, as private depot owners raised the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to about ₦800 per litre across key supply locations nationwide.

The latest hike follows confirmation that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has temporarily shut down its main petrol-producing unit for planned maintenance and operational upgrades, a move that has tightened domestic supply and triggered fresh price pressures.

Market intelligence reports show that the increase comes barely days after a brief price relief recorded between December 23 and 24, 2025. During that window, ex-depot prices fell to around ₦725 per litre in Lagos at depots such as Nipco, Rainoil and Aiteo, while Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar recorded prices ranging between ₦754 and ₦773 per litre.

However, by the end of December 2025 and into early January 2026, prices rebounded sharply. Major depots in Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar adjusted rates upward, with Lagos depots now fully aligned at the ₦800 per litre benchmark.
Industry sources link the renewed surge directly to the planned turnaround maintenance at the Dangote Refinery. The refinery reportedly took its Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) — the facility’s key gasoline-producing unit — offline, while its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) is also scheduled for a brief shutdown in early January 2026.

The company has described the shutdown as a strategic decision rather than an emergency response, noting that the exercise is aimed at resolving production constraints and enhancing overall efficiency.

Speaking to Platts (S&P Global), Vice President of Dangote Industries, Devakumar Edwin, said several units of the refinery were already operating above initial expectations.

“In most departments, our production levels have gone beyond 100 per cent. What we need now is to remove constraints so we can raise overall output,” Edwin said.
Following the upgrade, the refinery is expected to increase the capacity of its Crude Distillation Unit from 650,000 barrels per day to about 700,000 barrels per day, a development analysts believe could improve supply stability and moderate prices over the long term.

In the short term, however, the ₦800 per litre ex-depot price is expected to translate into higher pump prices across the country, intensifying cost-of-living pressures on households, transport operators and businesses already strained by rising fuel costs.