Nigeria’s Petrol Imports Surge 97% in March to 5.9M Litres Daily
Nigeria’s daily importation of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, climbed sharply by 96.6 percent in March 2026, reaching 5.9 million litres per day, up from 3.0 million litres per day recorded in February. The figures were published on Tuesday by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in its monthly fact sheet, “State of the Midstream and Downstream Sector for March 2026.”
The same report revealed that petrol supply from domestic refineries declined by 2.3 million litres per day, or 6.3 percent, falling to 34.2 million litres in March from 36.5 million litres supplied in February. Total petrol supply for the month stood at 40.1 million litres per day, representing a marginal drop of 1.5 percent from the 40.5 million litres per day recorded in the preceding month.
Despite the month-on-month surge in imports, the NMDPRA data shows a dramatically different picture when viewed against the same period last year. Daily petrol imports fell by 79.4 percent in March 2026, compared to 28.7 million litres per day imported in March 2025.
The authority noted that the Dangote Refinery remained the sole domestic supplier of petrol during the period under review. The three Federal Government-owned refineries managed by NNPC Limited remained shut down, contributing no output to the domestic supply chain.
Average daily petrol consumption in March was recorded at 47.3 million litres, a decline from 56.9 million litres recorded in February. The NMDPRA stated that these figures were based on volumes trucked into the domestic market.
On Automotive Gas Oil, commonly called diesel, the report disclosed that supply dropped by 58.4 percent to 10.3 million litres per day in March, from 24.8 million litres per day in February. Imports accounted for 6.4 million litres, representing 62 percent of total diesel supply, while local refineries contributed 3.9 million litres per day.
For Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or cooking gas, total daily supply stood at 4.726 million metric tonnes, with 4.5 million metric tonnes supplied by local processing plants.
The March figures come against the backdrop of ongoing policy adjustments in the downstream petroleum sector. According to industry analysts, the Dangote Refinery, with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, commenced petrol production in September 2024 and has progressively expanded its market share. However, the facility has not entirely eliminated the need for imported petrol, particularly during periods of planned maintenance or supply chain disruptions.
The NNPC Limited, Nigeria’s national oil company, has repeatedly stated its intention to transition from being a major fuel importer to a significant off-taker of locally refined products. In public statements, NNPC officials have indicated that the company now purchases petrol from the Dangote Refinery in naira under a government-brokered arrangement designed to ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves.