The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (COCSON) and the Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF) have hit hard on Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), condemning its request for ₦1.505 trillion in annual subsidy payments from Dangote Refinery.
The groups described the move as nothing short of a “declaration of war” on Nigerians.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the organisations warned that they would not sit idly by while DAPPMAN allegedly sought to impose a backdoor subsidy on the public.
In a joint text of the press conference signed by Comrade Ibrahim Suleiman, President of COCSON; Mrs. Grace Okonkwo, National Secretary of COCSON; Rev. Dr. Matthew Ayodele, National Chairman of NIF; and Imam Musa Abdullahi, National Secretary of NIF, the groups labelled the demand as an act of economic sabotage masquerading as business.
“We cannot overlook the suffering of ordinary Nigerians. Millions are trapped in a daily battle with hunger, inflation, and hardship. Mothers skip meals so their children can eat, fathers walk long distances to save transport fares, and young people lose hope daily as the cost of living climbs beyond reach.
“At such a critical time, for DAPPMAN to demand that Nigerians underwrite their inefficiencies with ₦1.5 trillion yearly is nothing but wickedness. It would rob our hospitals of funding, deny schools resources, cripple infrastructure development, and keep our nation shackled to poverty. This is not subsidy — it is extortion.”
The groups argued that the ₦75 per litre coastal freight and operating cost cited by DAPPMAN — which amounts to ₦1.505 trillion — was self-serving and driven by greed.
They further alleged that DAPPMAN had undermined local refining from the outset, pointing out that Dangote Refinery had exported over 3.2 million metric tonnes of refined products within three months, demonstrating its capacity, while DAPPMAN brought in 3.6 million metric tonnes through importation, which they claimed sabotaged the local economy.
“They sabotaged Dangote from the start. When Dangote Refinery was completed, the refinery had over 500 million litres of products in stock, and Dangote himself had to plead publicly with NNPC, marketers, and transporters to patronize him. Instead, they deliberately imported products from abroad to frustrate his operations.”
According to the groups, this left Dangote no choice but to purchase more than 4,000 trucks to distribute his products, a move forced on him by market resistance.
They warned that entertaining such subsidy demands would not only undermine Dangote Refinery but also threaten President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda and damage Nigeria’s international reputation.
While pledging unwavering support for the refinery, the organisations described it as a “beacon of industrial progress” and a “pillar of Nigeria’s refining revolution.”
They also threatened legal action against DAPPMAN and called on the government to scrap the association altogether.
“We condemn DAPPMAN as an exploitative cartel seeking to strangle Nigerians and plunge the nation back into subsidy fraud.”
The groups announced a series of steps including:
“Legal Action: We shall file a suit against DAPPMAN in the Federal High Court for economic sabotage, conspiracy, and deliberate attempt to reintroduce subsidy through the backdoor.
“Mass Mobilisation:* We will organise nationwide rallies and protests calling for the scrapping of DAPPMAN on Friday 26th of September, 2025 as an association that has outlived its usefulness and now constitutes a threat to national interest.
“Policy Advocacy:* We demand the Federal Government and National Assembly to:
“Review and withdraw any undue privileges or licenses granted to DAPPMAN.
“Strengthen the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to prioritise and protect local refining over importation cartels.
“Empower anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws to dismantle cartels that prey on Nigerians.
‘Naming and Shaming:* We will publish periodic watchlists of companies and individuals found sabotaging local refining and fueling hardship, so Nigerians know their true enemies.
“We call on Nigerians to boycott any marketer or depot that aligns with DAPPMAN’s exploitative scheme,” they said.
They also urged Nigerians to boycott marketers and depots aligned with DAPPMAN.
“This is not just a fight for Dangote Refinery,” the groups declared. “This is a fight for Nigeria’s future. This is a battle between nation-builders and nation-wreckers, between patriots and profiteers, between hope and despair. DAPPMAN’s demand for ₦1.505 trillion subsidy is a declaration of war on the Nigerian people. Our response is clear: we will resist, we will mobilise, we will litigate, and we will not rest until this cartel is defeated.”
They urged the Federal Government to remain resolute, Nigerians to stand united, and Dangote Refinery to stay strong in the face of what they described as cartel sabotage.
