The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied a viral video suggesting it is working with a company to distribute petrol through dispatch riders. The company informed our correspondent on Sunday that it has no connection to the video and is unaware of its origin.
In the video, which circulated online on Sunday, a man attempting to avoid fuel queues was seen placing an order for petrol through a WhatsApp chat. Moments later, a rider arrives with a mini fuel dispenser attached to his bike, with which he dispenses petrol into the man’s vehicle.
The video advertisement, which some argued could have been generated with AI, claimed that the initiative, tagged ‘FuelUp’, was powered by ‘Dangote Petroleum’. As the video gained traction, some Nigerians applauded the idea while others raised safety concerns.
Contacted by our correspondent, Dangote officials dismissed the video as “fake”. The Group Chief Communication Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said the refinery is not associated with the content. “Fake! We are not in any way associated with this,” he told our correspondent on Sunday.
Another Dangote official said the refinery only distributes fuel to bulk buyers and has not signed any agreement with any company to sell fuel through bikes.
Recall that the Dangote refinery recently imported hundreds of Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks, with which it began its direct fuel distribution scheme in September.
This was followed by the commencement of plans to scale up the refinery from 650,000 to 1.4 million barrels per day. The refinery, located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos State, is one of the largest integrated refineries in the world.
