Fuel import increased by 114% in March despite local refining

Nigeria imported 182,235,909 litre of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petroleum in March. According to documents the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) submitted to the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), this is an increase of 114% from the 85,097,124 litres imported in January. It would be recalled that NMDPRA had […]

Nigeria imported 182,235,909 litre of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petroleum in March.
According to documents the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) submitted to the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), this is an increase of 114% from the 85,097,124 litres imported in January.
It would be recalled that NMDPRA had in February said it stopped importation of fuel to encourage local refining.
But the Dangote Refinery had disagreed with the regulator, insisting that six independent marketers have licence to import the commodity.
But the document said local refineries supplied 1,111,987,635 (billion) of the product during the month with the total of 1,294,223,544 (billion) of the product supplied.
It added that an average of 35,870,568 litres of PMS was supplied to the market by local refiners daily while 5,878,578 was supplied through importation.
The document went on to state that Lagos State had the highest supply during the month with 209,593,641 litres of PMS followed by Ogun State with 103,366,580 litres, FCT with 98,241,082 litres and Oyo with 77,128,428 litres.
Delta followed with 69,968,219 litres, Kano with 58,281,754 litres, Anambra with 49,256,895 litres, Rivers with 48,838,851 litres, Edo with 48,187,922 litres, Adamawa with 46,727,655 litres and Kwara with 40,066,371 litres.
Osun State was supplied with 37,777,534 litres, followed by Ondo with 37,336,455 litres, Sokoto with 37,239,777 litres, Niger with 35,275,143 litres, Kaduna with 34,604,930 litres, Akwa Ibom with 34,464,170 litres and Imo with 33,494,836 litres.
Enugu was supplied with 31,679,986 litres, Kebbi with 31,133,725 litres, Nasarawa with 30,740,582 litres, Plateau with 26,147,936 litres, Benue with 24,421,344 litres, Bauchi with 24,317,398 litres, Cross River with 22,107,510 litres, Abia got 21,823,347 litres, Kogi received 19,529,021 litres and Katsina got 18,197,672 litres.
Also, Ekiti received 16,124,136 litres, Gombe got 15,443,642 litres, Borno got 14,380,481 litres while Bayelsa received 13,792,833 litres, Zamfara got 13,368,154 lites with Taraba receiving 13,278,858 litres.
Ebonyi got 11,926,065 litres while Yobe got 10,694,709 litres and Jigawa received the least with 7,823,453 litres.

Controversy on import license
The NMDPRA had stated that it did not issue a single import licence in the first quarter of 2026 because the Dangote refinery had the capacity to meet Nigeria’s petrol demand.
However, a top official of the NMDPRA recently clarified that the regulator never banned fuel importation, insisting that energy security remains the agency’s priority.
The official stated that a combination of imported and locally refined petrol would ensure supply stability across the country.
Also, S&P Global reported that the Authority granted six Nigerian marketers with new petrol import licences on May 6, worth 600,000 metric tonnes.
The move is a significant policy departure from recent market norms, which have seen the NMDPRA heavily regulate foreign arrivals of Nigeria’s main motor fuel in order to support the country’s new domestic refinery owned by Aliko Dangote.
After an initial clampdown in October 2025, the NMDPRA issued six companies with limited petrol import licences in late March 2025, S&P said, but left them to expire at the end of the first quarter, leaving uncertainty over its future policy trajectory.
In its latest licensing round, the Authority has continued to restrict the number of companies authorised to import foreign petrol, but has substantially increased the allowances to cover more than triple the previously approved volume.
According to a list shared by a well-placed market source and various West African traders, the licensed companies, which include Matrix, AA Rano, AYM Shafa, Nipco, Pinnacle and Bono, will be authorised to import between 60,000-150,000 mt of petrol, subject to the permit type, the report added.
Such entities will typically buy products from the nearby offshore Lome market, where larger international trading houses and oil companies will send the fuel and load it onto smaller ships. None of the marketers as well as the NMDPRA was available for official comment.
Mohammed, the immediate past CEO of the NMDPRA, was suddenly removed days ago after just four months in office, while Umar’s appointment was confirmed by the Senate on May 7. It’s unclear if Umar has officially assumed duty.
According to the latest NMDPRA figures, the Dangote refinery ran at 94 per cent of its capacity in March and produced enough fuel to cover the country’s entire domestic petrol consumption. However, supplies to the local market fell.
S&P Global Commodities at Sea data showed that Nigeria imported 60,000 b/d, or 218,000 mt, of petrol in April, more than double March’s all-time low but still less than half of the 2026 average. The NMDPRA has, since early this year, said it suspended the issuance of import licences.