Nigeria has seen a major drop in petrol imports as local refineries begin to meet more of the country’s fuel demand, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said on Tuesday.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, NMDPRA’s Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed, said that daily imports of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, fell from 44.6 million litres in August 2024 to 14.7 million litres by mid-April 2025.
He said the reduction in petrol imports, which amounts to 30 million litres per day, was mainly due to improved local refining.
Local production sees sharp increase
Ahmed noted that the Port Harcourt Refining Company resumed partial operations in November 2024, and this, along with several modular refineries, has increased daily petrol production significantly.
In August 2024, local plants contributed almost nothing to daily petrol supply. But by early April this year, they were producing around 26.2 million litres a day up from just 3.4 million litres in September.
Domestic supply up by 670 percent
According to Ahmed, domestic supply of petrol grew by over 670 percent in just eight months. This improvement in local refining helped reduce the need for imports.
He also revealed that total national supply only crossed the government’s estimated daily demand of 50 million litres twice once in November 2024 and again in February 2025. In March, supply dropped slightly to 51.5 million litres, before falling to 40.9 million litres in early April.
Import licences now based on supply gaps
Ahmed explained that import licences will now only be granted to fill gaps in supply. He said the authority’s main focus is to continue strengthening domestic refining to improve Nigeria’s energy security and reduce reliance on foreign products.
