Despite the activation and ramping up of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other domestic plants, Nigeria’s reliance on imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), or petrol, has remained substantial, with official data revealing that the country imported approximately 15.01 billion litres of the essential commodity over a 15-month period.
According to figures released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the country imported nearly 69 per cent of the total petrol supplied between August 2024 and the first ten days of October 2025. The data shows that the total national petrol supply for the 445-day review period stood at 21.68 billion litres.
The importation volume of 15,009.85 million litres significantly outpaced domestic refining contributions, which amounted to 6,672.44 million litres, or 31 per cent, of the total supply. The findings underscore a major challenge to the nation’s energy independence goals, which the $20 billion, 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery was designed to solve.
The period under review captures a complex market dynamic where import dependence initially peaked even as the Dangote refinery began supplying the local market. Imported petrol averaged 54.30 million litres per day in September 2024 before a steady decline began. Imports fell to 24.15 million litres per day by January 2025, and further to 15.11 million litres per day in the first ten days of October 2025, suggesting a gradual rebalancing towards domestic sourcing.
The sustained level of imports has created tension between local producers and importers. The Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has openly questioned the continued practice of importation by marketers and the national oil company.
Questioning the industry’s purchasing practices, Dangote was previously quoted as saying: “So, I am expecting that the NNPC Ltd and the marketers should stop importing; they should come and collect what they need.”
Industry experts point to a variety of factors contributing to the import paradox, including challenges in securing local crude oil feedstock for domestic refineries, pricing disagreements, and logistical hurdles in the downstream sector. Stakeholders continue to urge the government to prioritize the full utilization of local refining capacity to conserve foreign exchange and stabilize the domestic petroleum supply chain.
