Industrialists from Northern Nigeria have welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to impose a 15 per cent import duty on petroleum products, noting that the measure is a strategic move to stimulate local production, enhance value addition within the oil and gas sector, and create a more competitive environment for manufacturers.
Muhammad Nura Madugu, who chairs the Sharada-Challawa branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Kano, spoke yesterday during the association’s visit to Dangote Group’s regional office in Abuja.
He stated that local manufacturers would continue to align with progressive government policies aimed at stimulating industrial development, promoting local content, and positioning Nigerian companies to compete effectively on the global stage.
Madugu explained that his members adopt a balanced approach in assessing government policies, weighing both the potential benefits and challenges to member industries and the nation’s economic development.
According to him, numerous business opportunities are arising from the various derivatives of crude oil refining by the company, adding that his members are eager to leverage the vast potential created by the Dangote Refinery.
Madugu said some of the key derivatives obtained from crude oil refining include petrol, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Others, he said, include naphtha, bitumen, lubricating oils, and fuel oil, as well as important petrochemical feedstocks such as linear alkylbenzene (LAB), ethylene, propylene, and butadiene, all of which serve as raw materials for plastics, detergents, synthetic fibres, and other industrial goods.
The courtesy visit followed the 2025 MAN Product Exhibition in Kano, a yearly event sponsored by Dangote Industries Limited. He lauded Dangote Group President, Aliko Dangote, for his rare faith and resilience in advancing the Nigeria project
The MAN team also presented Awards of Excellence to Aliko Dangote and his Special Adviser on Strategic Relations and Projects, Mrs. Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman.
In her reaction, Wali-Abdurrahman expressed the company’s appreciation, adding that Dangote is passionate about supporting the government in growing and developing the Nigerian economy.
She said the company remains committed to promoting locally made products and driving job creation across the federation. Chairman of MAN, Kano-Jigawa Branch, Muhammad Bello Isyaku Umar, lauded the introduction of the new import duty on petrol and diesel, describing it as a policy capable of placing the nation’s economy on a stronger and more sustainable footing.
President Bola Tinubu had approved a 15 per cent import tariff on petrol and diesel, describing the policy as a strategic step to stimulate local refining and strengthen Nigeria’s energy independence.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, on his official X handle, the new policy is “a bridge, not a burden”, aimed at transforming Nigeria’s petroleum landscape and securing long-term economic stability.
