Nigeria imported more than two-thirds of the petrol consumed nationwide in June 2025, underscoring the country’s continued dependence on foreign fuel despite efforts to boost local refining.
According to the July report of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) presented to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), total petrol consumption for the month stood at 1.478 billion litres. Of this, only 455,188,512 litres came from local refineries, while a staggering 1,023,128,233 litres—69.19 percent—were imported.
The June consumption figure marked a 16.42 percent drop from the 1.768 billion litres recorded in May. Truck-out volumes also fell to 1.44 billion litres from 1.678 billion litres in the previous month.
“The average daily petrol supply for the month was 49.277 million litres, of which 34.104 million litres was imported and 15.172 million litres sourced from local refineries,” the report stated.
The daily average in June was 13.65 percent lower than the 57.05 million litres recorded in May.
Diesel Consumption Also Skews Heavily to Imports
For Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), total consumption in June reached 432.18 million litres, up 1.73 percent from May’s 424.82 million litres. Imports accounted for 378.13 million litres, while local refineries supplied 58.04 million litres. Average daily diesel supply was 14.4 million litres, with imports providing 12.6 million litres and local sources contributing 1.8 million litres.
Policy Moves and Industry Response
The figures come amid renewed efforts by the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Dangote Refinery to reduce fuel prices and advance a naira-for-crude policy aimed at easing foreign exchange pressures. The NNPC recently increased petrol pump prices to ₦915 per litre in Lagos and ₦955 per litre in Abuja, intensifying public debate over the country’s fuel import dependence.
Industry watchers say the data underscores the urgency of ramping up domestic refining to reduce Nigeria’s exposure to volatile global oil markets and foreign exchange shortages.