Nigeria imported ₦12.8 trillion worth of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, between August 2024 and October 2025, according to a detailed analysis of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) factsheet.
Using an average landing cost of ₦829.77 per litre, the total import value was calculated from 15.435 billion litres brought into the country over the 15-month period.
Monthly Petrol Import Breakdown
- September 2024: 1.52 billion litres — the highest import volume, recorded when local production was unavailable.
- August 2024: 1.38 billion litres
- December 2024: 1.31 billion litres
In 2025, import volumes fluctuated:
- January: 765.7 million litres
- February: 770 million litres
- March: 889.7 million litres
- April: 861 million litres
- May: 1.19 billion litres
- June: 978 million litres
- July: 1.11 billion litres
- August: 818.4 million litres
- September: 663 million litres
- October: 855.6 million litres
The data highlights Nigeria’s continued heavy reliance on imported petrol despite efforts to boost domestic production.
Dangote Refinery Provides All Local PMS Supply
According to the factsheet, total local production during the period amounted to 7.208 billion litres, all sourced from the Dangote Refinery.
Monthly local supply included:
- September 2024: 102 million litres
- October 2024: 300.7 million litres
- November 2024: 558 million litres
- December 2024: 306.9 million litres
- January 2025: 592.1 million litres
- February: 694.4 million litres
- March: 709.9 million litres
- April: 645 million litres
- May: 573.5 million litres
- June: 543 million litres
- July: 511.5 million litres
- August: 613.8 million litres
- September: 528 million litres
- October 2025: 529.48 million litres
The figures underscore Nigeria’s continued dependence on imports, even as the Dangote Refinery increases domestic supply.
Policy Challenges and Industry Concerns
The Federal Government previously introduced a 15% ad valorem tariff on imported PMS and diesel, enforced via directives to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and NMDPRA.
The policy faced strong opposition from stakeholders, who argued that Nigeria had not yet achieved self-sufficiency in refining. Consequently, the government later reversed the directive.
Industry experts also warned that banning imports could create a monopoly favoring Dangote Refinery, potentially undermining national energy security.
Nigeria’s petrol import trends and ongoing reliance on Dangote’s local output highlight the challenges the country faces in achieving full energy independence.
Dangote Raises Concern Over Vessel Clearance Delays Affecting Operations
The Dangote Refinery has raised alarms over delays in vessel clearance, warning that the bottlenecks are disrupting refinery operations and affecting customers.
In a letter to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) CEO, Dangote Refinery’s CEO, David Bird, described the delays as causing “unnecessary costs and inefficiencies.”
“We continue to experience delays in vessel clearance which impacts not only the refinery operations but also our customers, adding unnecessary costs and inefficiencies,” Bird wrote.
He emphasized that the refinery is fully positioned to meet Nigeria’s petrol needs. According to Bird:
- December 2025 – January 2026: Able to supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS per month (50 million litres/day)
- From February 2026: Capacity rises to 1.7 billion litres per month (57 million litres/day)
Bird requested the Authority’s support to enable unhindered importation of crude and feedstocks and to facilitate product lifting by vessels.
“Please allow the ‘Nigeria First’ policy to work to the benefits of all Nigerians,” he added.
He also urged NMDPRA to deploy officials onsite from December 1 to validate and publish the refinery’s daily supply volumes, promising full transparency through daily production and stock reports.
Experts Explain Why Nigeria Still Needs Fuel Imports
Henry Adigun, Director at the Institute for Energy and Extractive Industry Law, said Nigeria cannot completely halt petrol imports yet because local refining capacity is not sufficiently diversified.
He explained that Section 317(9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) empowers the regulator to issue import licences to companies with active local refining licences or proven records in global crude and product trading to fill supply gaps.
Adigun noted that current fuel importers often buy from the Dangote Refinery when prices are competitive. However, he cautioned that the refinery cannot sustain reduced petrol prices without support from favourable international market conditions.
He highlighted Dangote’s recent ex-depot price cut from ₦880 per litre to ₦865, which was influenced by falling global crude prices and expectations around a potential crude-for-naira agreement.
Petroleum economist, Prof. Wumi Iledare, said Dangote’s domestic petroleum supply has reshaped Nigeria’s downstream sector by:
- Reducing reliance on imports
- Enhancing market stability
- Testing regulatory provisions under PIA 2021
He added that the benefits include foreign exchange savings and inflation moderation, but challenges such as crude supply reliability, infrastructure bottlenecks, regulatory overreach, and market concentration persist.
Prof. Iledare recommended priority actions including:
- Operationalizing transparent supply arrangements
- Enforcing PIA provisions
- De-bottlenecking logistics
- Ensuring competition oversight
- Providing data transparency via public dashboards
He stressed that Nigeria must monitor refinery output, pricing patterns, import volumes, scarcity incidents, and logistics KPIs to maintain a balanced downstream market.
