Dangote Petroleum Refinery has resumed gantry loading of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in naira after a week-long suspension, increasing its ex-depot petrol price to N1,215 per litre.

The new price represents a N140 per litre increase, or 13.02 per cent, from the previous ex-depot price of N1,075 per litre.

The refinery suspended gantry and coastal loading on July 15 after introducing a dollar-denominated pricing template for refined petroleum products, citing challenges in accessing sufficient crude oil under the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude arrangement.

Checks showed that the revised ex-depot price remains below the cost of imported petrol. As of Friday night, some depot owners were selling at N1,274 per litre, while several filling stations in Lagos dispensed petrol at over N1,300 per litre.

Industry sources confirmed that marketers had been informed of the resumption of gantry operations, with truck loading expected to commence immediately under the restored naira pricing system.

The suspension of loading had tightened fuel supply nationwide, triggering a sharp rise in depot prices as marketers grappled with higher replacement costs.

Before the suspension, the average ex-depot price in Lagos stood at about N1,075 per litre, but climbed to approximately N1,275 per litre during the disruption, reflecting an increase of around 18.6 per cent.

Under the temporary dollar-based pricing regime, Dangote Refinery sold PMS at $0.779 per litre, Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) at $1.087 per litre, and Jet A1 aviation fuel at $0.942 per litre.

Confirming the development, President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Maigandi, welcomed the refinery’s return to naira sales, describing it as a positive step that would ease recent supply challenges.

“We are very happy with this development and I want to assure you that our members would resume loading immediately. This will further improve inland distribution after days of constrained availability,” he said.