Motorists across parts of Lagos have besieged MRS petrol stations following a sharp reduction in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to ₦739 per litre, significantly lower than prices at most other retail outlets.
MRS, a retail outlet affiliated with the Dangote Refinery, recorded heavy traffic at several of its stations as drivers rushed to take advantage of the cheaper fuel. A market survey by The Nation on Wednesday showed long queues of vehicles at MRS outlets in Alapere (Ketu), Palmgrove and Ebute-Metta.
However, findings also revealed that not all MRS stations had adjusted to the new price as directed by Dangote Refinery management. At Alagbole/Akute, a border town between Lagos and Ogun states, MRS stations were still selling petrol at ₦800 per litre—₦61 above the ₦739 benchmark.
Reacting to the development, a motorist at the Alapere MRS station, Kingsley Edwards, said the queues were a direct result of the price difference.
“Why will I buy at outlets selling as high as ₦890 per litre when I can buy here for over ₦150 cheaper? The queue here is worth the money I’m saving,” he said.
Meanwhile, other major marketers continued to sell at significantly higher prices. Heyden sold petrol at ₦887 per litre, Fatgbems at ₦881, while NNPC outlets sold at about ₦820 per litre.
Beyond Lagos, Dangote-affiliated stations in Abuja were yet to adjust their pump prices to ₦739 per litre as of press time.
Explaining the delay, the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Maigandi, said many affiliates were yet to receive direct product supplies from the Dangote Refinery.
Maigandi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Garima Ltd—one of the companies registered directly with the refinery—attributed the price difference to transportation costs incurred by marketers using their own trucks.
“Some independent petroleum marketers are already selling below ₦800 per litre,” he said. “There is still a little difference from the ₦739 per litre that only MRS is selling because of transportation costs.”
He added that prices would likely drop further once Dangote Refinery begins supplying products directly using its own trucks.
“When Dangote starts giving us products in its trucks, we will sell the way MRS is selling. That is when we start receiving free delivery from Dangote’s trucks,” Maigandi explained.
Other filling stations registered with the refinery include Heyden, Ardova Petrol, and Optima, none of which were selling at ₦739 per litre at the time of filing this report.
A further market survey showed that Shema filling station sold petrol at ₦836 per litre, while AA Rano and Sharon outlets sold at ₦840 per litre.
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