The decision was reached at a zonal council meeting held on Saturday, which brought together council members, officers, depot chairmen, and secretaries from across the South West, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Chief Oyewole Akanni, Chairman of IPMAN’s Western Zone, told NAN in Ibadan that the entry of Dangote Refinery and MRS Energy into direct fuel distribution posed a serious threat to the survival of IPMAN members and the jobs of thousands of petroleum tanker drivers.
“We operate over 4,000 trucks across the zone. With this new model, many of our drivers and their assistants face job losses, and members’ investments worth billions could be wiped out. This is why we have resolved to shut down operations collectively from Monday,” Akanni said.
He argued that the arrangement violates provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which bars refiners from directly distributing petroleum products, insisting it amounts to a flagrant breach of the law.
The planned strike, IPMAN said, is also in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which has raised concerns over the job security of petroleum tanker drivers.
Dangote Refinery’s New Distribution Drive
The development comes as Dangote Petroleum Refinery prepares to roll out its direct nationwide fuel distribution network. The initiative will see petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel supplied directly to filling stations, industrial plants, and bulk consumers, bypassing middlemen to cut logistics costs.
The refinery recently acquired 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks as part of a N720 billion investment programme. The scheme, expected to commence soon, is projected to save Nigerians over N1.7 trillion annually in energy costs, support more than 42 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), revive dormant filling stations, and create at least 15,000 jobs along the logistics chain.
With the new fleet, Dangote Refinery says it can meet Nigeria’s daily demand of 65 million litres of refined petroleum products—comprising 45 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 15 million litres of diesel, and 5 million litres of aviation fuel.
Uncertain Days Ahead
Despite these promises, IPMAN maintains that the model threatens its survival, warning that if the concerns are not addressed, petrol stations across the South West will remain shut from September 8.
Analysts say the standoff could disrupt fuel supply in the region, putting pressure on both the federal government and the Dangote Group to open negotiations with the marketers.
