Jetties and Petroleum Tank Farms Owners of Nigeria (JETFON) has urged the Nigerian government to revoke new petrol import licenses issued to marketers. The group says the permits will weaken domestic industry and slow progress toward broader energy and economic security.
Quick facts
- JETFON asked the Nigerian government to cancel petrol import licenses granted to marketers.
- The group’s executive secretary, Mr Olayiwola Temitope, made the request in a statement on Tuesday.
- JETFON said it is not part of a planned legal action by DAPPMAN challenging Dangote Refinery’s case.
- The group argued that ongoing import licensing erodes domestic production and undermines major local investments, including Dangote Refinery.
- JETFON said dependence on imported refined products exposes Nigeria to supply-chain shocks, logistics disruptions and foreign-exchange pressure.
In its statement issued on Tuesday, JETFON said it has no connection to a proposed lawsuit that the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) plans to file. That action, the group noted, is aimed at disputing a controversy involving Dangote Refinery’s court case and the petrol import licenses that were granted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
JETFON described the latest import permits as harmful to Nigeria’s economic direction and contrary to industrial growth. The group argued that repeatedly approving importation licences reduces incentives for local fuel production and can diminish the value of large-scale domestic projects, including Dangote Refinery.
The association also maintained that leaning on domestic refining capacity is the most direct route to genuine economic independence and stronger energy security. It added that treating local refining as secondary, while imports remain the fallback, leaves the country more exposed to external shocks and operational disruptions beyond its control.
JETFON warned that continued reliance on foreign refined products would keep Nigeria vulnerable to international logistics disturbances and supply-chain turbulence. It also pointed to persistent foreign-exchange strain as imported fuels remain a standing demand on the naira.
“By prioritising local refineries, Nigeria can build a self-sustaining and secure domestic fuel supply ecosystem,” the group said. The statement framed local refining not only as an industrial policy goal, but as a practical buffer against global disruptions that can quickly tighten supply and raise costs.
The call comes as Dangote Refinery has already taken the government to court over fresh petrol import licenses issued in a way that, it argues, contradicts the country’s stated “Nigeria first” approach. DAPPMAN, meanwhile, has not aligned itself with Dangote’s position, and has previously pushed back against the refinery’s case—despite the group’s concerns about the economic risks of importing.
