Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday evening at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, in what marked their first official meeting at the Villa since the president visited the Dangote Refinery on June 5.
Dangote arrived at the Villa shortly before 7:00 p.m. and left after about 30 minutes without addressing the press. The details of the meeting were not disclosed by either party.
The visit comes amid a series of public statements by Dangote on Nigeria’s struggling downstream oil sector and his plans to alter the country’s fuel distribution framework.
On July 11, while hosting visiting energy executives, Dangote stated that government-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna “may never operate properly again,” despite approximately $18 billion reportedly spent on their rehabilitation. He called for what he described as “bold policy shifts” to reposition the sector.
In mid-June, Dangote also announced that his 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lagos would begin direct supply of petrol and diesel to retailers and major end-users from August 15, bypassing traditional fuel traders. The move drew criticism from industry bodies, including the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria, which raised concerns about potential job losses.
The Tuesday meeting follows these developments, as well as ongoing conversations about the role of private refineries in stabilising Nigeria’s fuel market. Though no official agenda was shared, the timing has drawn attention to potential discussions around regulatory frameworks, fuel pricing, and domestic energy distribution.
The Lekki-based Dangote Refinery is Africa’s largest single-train refining facility, built at an estimated cost of $20 billion. It is widely seen as central to Nigeria’s efforts to achieve fuel self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imports.
Tuesday’s closed-door engagement suggests continued dialogue between the presidency and key industrial players as Nigeria navigates reforms in its energy sector.
