Private depots in Lagos recorded low activity on Wednesday as marketers increasingly turned to Dangote Refinery and MRS, which offered the most competitive prices for PMS, diesel, and LPG.
Dangote Refinery sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at ₦822 per litre, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) at ₦966 per litre, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at ₦730 per litre. MRS TinCan also attracted heavy traffic with PMS at ₦822 per litre, mirroring Dangote’s price.
A video that circulated on Wednesday reinforced this trend, showing rows of empty private depots as marketers abandoned them in favour of Dangote and MRS, where loading activities were visibly more active.
Price comparison across depots shows the gap:
- Dangote — PMS ₦822 | AGO ₦966 | LPG ₦730
- MRS TinCan — PMS ₦822 (same as Dangote)
- Aiteo — PMS ₦826 (+₦4) | AGO ₦966 (same)
- AA Rano — PMS ₦824 (+₦2) | AGO ₦974 (+₦8)
- Rainoil — PMS ₦825 (+₦3) | AGO ₦980 (+₦14) | LPG ₦815 (+₦85)
- Obat — AGO ₦995 (+₦29)
- Menj — AGO ₦975 (+₦9)
- Emadeb — AGO ₦975 (+₦9)
- Integrated — PMS ₦824 (+₦2) | AGO ₦985 (+₦19)
- Sahara — PMS ₦823 (+₦1)
- Honeywell — PMS ₦825 (+₦3)
- Wosbab — PMS ₦825 (+₦3)
The differences explain the rush. While PMS at private depots is up to ₦4 higher per litre, diesel goes as far as ₦29 above Dangote’s price. In LPG, the gap is even sharper, with Dangote at ₦730 against Rainoil’s ₦815.
With customers trooping to Dangote and MRS, industry stakeholders warn that independent depots risk further decline unless they cut prices to compete. For now, Dangote’s aggressive pricing continues to set the pace, forcing a major shift in Nigeria’s downstream fuel market.