A major controversy has erupted over Nigeria’s actual daily petrol consumption, with Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, alleging that official figures have been inflated for years to facilitate corrupt practices, especially during the fuel subsidy regime.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) currently estimates Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption at about 50 million litres, but Dangote insists the true figure is closer to 33 million litres—a staggering 17 million litres less.
According to Dangote, these inflated figures were part of a long-running scheme to siphon public funds.
“Nigeria does not consume up to 40 million litres daily as officially reported,” Dangote said during a recent visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery by members of Global CEO Africa, Punch reports.
He further claimed that, in the past, records sometimes suggested daily consumption as high as 90 million litres, a figure he said was far beyond what Nigeria’s vehicle population could justify.
Dangote did not mince words in describing the state of the sector he has now entered.
He called the petroleum industry a “mafia business” and admitted he was initially reluctant to participate in it due to its entrenched corruption.
Despite Dangote’s revelations, official data collection remains the responsibility of the NMDPRA, with supplementary data often coming from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Industry observers say fresh investigations are needed to establish the country’s real consumption figures and put the debate to rest.
Reacting to Dangote’s claims, Taiwo Ogunloye, a lawyer and energy expert with the Institute of Energy and Extractive Industry Law, highlighted the NMDPRA’s statutory mandate under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“The NMDPRA plays a crucial role in ensuring energy security under the Petroleum Industry Act,” Ogunloye explained.
“The PIA empowers NMDPRA to implement market‑driven policies, including deregulation and price liberalisation, fostering a competitive market and attracting investment. The NMDPRA also ensures adequate product supply, mitigates the negative effects of subsidy removal, and promotes a stable and secure energy sector,” he said.
Ogunloye added that while Dangote may have access to some internal data as an operator, the NMDPRA remains the primary source of official figures.
“However, Dangote is an operator and may have some figures in his disposal but that may be limited in scope because the NMDPRA has the duty and responsibility as well as capacity to provide accurate information on the actual marketer situation,” he told LEADERSHIP in a telephone conversation.
He noted that the regulator could choose to contradict Dangote’s claims, but cautioned that allegations of corruption are grave and must be backed by verifiable evidence.
“The use of the word ‘corruption’ is serious and could only be substantiated with proof which might be at the accuser’s disposal,” Ogunloye said.
The dispute has heightened calls for transparency in the oil sector, with stakeholders urging government agencies to publish verifiable data to end years of speculation and mistrust.
