President Tinubu has ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in Naira.

Bayo Onanuga, a presidential media aide, disclosed this in a statement on his official X account on Monday.

“To ensure the stability of the pump price of refined fuel and the dollar-Naira exchange rate, the Federal Executive Council today adopted a proposal by President Tinubu to sell crude to Dangote Refinery and other upcoming refineries in Naira.

Dangote Refinery at the moment requires 15 cargoes of crude, for $13.5 billion yearly. NNPC has committed to supply four.

“But the FEC has approved that the 450,000 barrels meant for domestic consumption be offered in Naira to Nigerian refineries, using the Dangote refinery as a pilot. The exchange rate will be fixed for the duration of this transaction.

“Afreximbank and other settlement banks in Nigeria will facilitate the trade between Dangote and NNPC Limited. The game-changing intervention will eliminate the need for international letters of credit. It will also save the country billions of dollars used in importing refined fuel,” he said.

The development is coming amid the dispute between the 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery and NNPCL, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, and other regulators in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.