Local Petrol Output Exceeds 12bn Litres, Imports Hit 7.67bn Litres in 13 Months

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria’s domestic refineries supplied 12.01 billion litres of petrol, accounting for 61.2 per cent of the total 19.68 billion litres of petrol pumped into the market from September 2025 to September 2026, while it imported 7.67 billion litres of petrol, representing 38.8 per cent of total supply, fresh industry data has shown.

The figures, contained in the September 2026 factsheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) underscored the growing contribution of local refining to Nigeria’s fuel supply, although imports remained significant in meeting domestic demand.

According to the data, petrol imports were relatively high towards the end of 2025, averaging 22.1 million litres daily in September before surging to 52.1 million litres per day in November, equivalent to about 1.56 billion litres for the month. Domestic supply averaged 19.5 million litres daily in November.

While the proponents of total local refining argue that every litre imported puts pressure on foreign exchange reserves, leads to capital flight and kills local industries, the import side maintains that Nigeria cannot rely solely on a single refinery for its fuel, stressing that it will lead to a monopoly.

However, Imports remained elevated in December at 42.2 million litres per day, while domestic supply stood at 32 million litres daily. Combined, the two sources supplied an average of 74.2 million litres per day, the highest monthly rate cited in the data.

The balance shifted in early 2026 as domestic refinery output increased and petrol imports declined. By February, imports had fallen to an average of 3 million litres per day, compared with domestic supply of 29.4 million litres daily.

According to the data, the gap widened further in April, when local refineries supplied 40.7 million litres per day against imports of 3.7 million litres. Domestic supply rose to 41.5 million litres daily in May, while imports averaged 5.9 million litres.

But the improvement in local supply did not prevent a contraction in overall receipts in September. Petrol receipts fell to 38.7 million litres per day, comprising 28.5 million litres from domestic sources and 10.2 million litres from imports.

The regulator attributed the decline partly to a 21 per cent month-on-month fall in domestic supply and a 30 per cent drop in imports. It also identified the exhaustion of approved import permits among major trading companies as a factor affecting supply.

Also, diesel imports totalled 2.60 billion litres over the period, while domestic refineries supplied approximately 4 billion litres, bringing total supply to about 6.61 billion litres. Domestic refineries accounted for 60.5 per cent of diesel supply, averaging 10.1 million litres per day, while imports handled by oil marketing companies averaged 6.6 million litres daily.

Import volumes varied considerably. In February 2026, total diesel receipts reached 24.8 million litres per day, including 15.9 million litres from oil marketing companies. Imports by the companies fell to zero in May and June before recovering to 7.9 million litres per day in July and 1.3 million litres in August.

By September, total diesel receipts had declined to 8.7 million litres per day, comprising 8.1 million litres from domestic refineries and 0.6 million litres from imports.

In the aviation fuel market, domestic receipts of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK), commonly known as jet fuel, totalled 1.04 billion litres during the review period. Average daily receipts stood at 2.6 million litres, rising to 3.9 million litres in December 2025 before reaching 3.3 million litres in September 2026, 6 per cent higher than in August.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market also recorded a substantial domestic contribution. Total supply reached 1.86 million tonnes over the 13 months, comprising 1.56 million tonnes from domestic sources and about 301,300 tonnes from imports by oil marketing companies.

Domestic processing plants supplied 83.9 per cent of the market, with imports accounting for the remaining 16.1 per cent. NLNG and Seplat Energy supplied LPG by vessel, representing 54.3 per cent of total market supply, while other processing plants accounted for 26.4 per cent through truck deliveries. The Dangote Refinery contributed 15.1 per cent. Besides, LPG imports peaked at 5.3 kilotonnes per day in July 2026.

The expansion in domestic petroleum product supply also coincided with a rise in crude oil allocations to local refineries. The NUPRC data from January to July 2026 showed average daily crude oil lifting of 1.61 million barrels, of which domestic refineries received about 460,000 barrels per day, or 29 per cent.

The allocation compared with 280,000 barrels per day in 2025 and 220,000 barrels per day in 2024. Direct crude exports averaged 1.15 million barrels per day, accounting for the remaining 71 per cent of liftings.