NMDPRA Data: Nigeria’s Fuel Imports Surge 59.5% in May

Oil marketers ramped up petrol purchases from foreign suppliers in May, pushing imports up sharply even as Nigeria’s domestic refineries continued to dominate national fuel supply, fresh data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has shown.

According to the latest Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Statistics released by the NMDPRA, average daily imports of Premium Motor Spirit rose from 3.7 million litres per day in April to 5.9 million litres per day in May, a 59.5 per cent increase. The jump came despite total petrol supply climbing 6.8 per cent month on month, from 44.4 million litres daily to 47.4 million litres.

The data points to a familiar pressure point in Nigeria’s downstream sector: feedstock. Crude oil receipts by domestic refineries fell from 612,000 barrels per day in April to 578,000 barrels per day in May, a 5.6 per cent decline. Petrol supplied from domestic sources rose only marginally, by two per cent, to 41.5 million litres per day, leaving imports to bridge the gap.

Even so, locally refined products accounted for nearly 88 per cent of total petrol supply in May, against about 62 per cent in January. The shift has been steep. Petrol imports fell to about 965.5 million litres in the first quarter of 2026 from an estimated 2.43 billion litres in the corresponding period of 2025, a 60.2 per cent decline, while local refinery supply rose 59.2 per cent.

The contrast with recent history is starker still. NMDPRA records show total petrol consumption stood at 18.97 billion litres in 2025, with 62.47 per cent supplied through imports.

The May rebound coincided with operational difficulties at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa’s largest. Reuters, citing industry monitor IIR Energy, reported that the refinery reduced the maximum operating capacity of its gasoline-making unit by 34 per cent from May 21 and expected the unit to resume full rates by mid-June.

IIR Energy said the refinery initially encountered insufficient feed for the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit after processing lighter crude grades, before a fault emerged with the unit’s flue gas slide gate valve.

The disruption was not isolated. Reports indicate that the same unit was shut completely for maintenance in August 2025 and later restarted at 60 per cent capacity in October 2025, making the May episode the third incident on the unit in under a year.

The strain showed in exports. Data from Kpler cited by Reuters indicated gasoline exports from the refinery fell to 17,000 barrels per day in May and averaged about 10,000 barrels per day in June.

Other products moved unevenly. Diesel supply surged 84.3 per cent to 18.8 million litres per day, all of it from domestic sources, as imports dropped to zero. Aviation fuel rose 38.5 per cent to 3.6 million litres daily, while cooking gas supply slipped from 4.5 to 4.1 kilotonnes per day. PMS consumption eased 9.4 per cent to 46.3 million litres, yet stock sufficiency tightened from 17.7 days to 16 days.

The figures sharpen a question that has trailed Nigeria’s refining ambition since the Dangote plant began producing petrol. The NMDPRA suspended new petrol import licences in February 2026, citing improved domestic output. Yet without steady feedstock, marketers say imports will keep returning whenever local output falters.

The May data captures exactly that balance, and its fragility.