Petrol imports fall 30% as daily demand hits 44.4m litres

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s daily petrol imports fell 30.1% to 10.2 million litres in September 2026, even as daily consumption rose to 44.4 million litres, according to the latest factsheet from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Combined daily receipts fell to 38.7 million litres, leaving a shortfall of 5.7 million litres a day against reported consumption. Total receipts covered about 87.2% of demand in September.

Domestic supply also fell

Domestic petrol receipts dropped 20.6% to 28.5 million litres a day in September, from 35.9 million litres in August. Imports fell from 14.6 million litres to 10.2 million litres a day over the same period. Consumption rose 7% from 41.5 million litres a day in August.

Petrol stock cover improved to 23.9 days from 22.9 days, but remained below the regulator’s 30-day benchmark.

Imports swing through 2026

Daily imports fell from 24.8 million litres in January to 3.0 million litres in February, then rose to 18.1 million litres in June and peaked at 19.7 million litres in July. September’s volume was 48.2% below that peak.

Domestic receipts followed a different path, rising from 40.1 million litres a day in January to 41.5 million litres in May, then falling to 25.8 million litres in July before recovering briefly in August.

Refining and import costs

Nigeria’s petrol import bill rose 989.4% quarter on quarter to ₦952.15 billion in the second quarter of 2026, from ₦87.40 billion in the first quarter. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s crude distillation capacity rose from 650,000 to 700,000 barrels a day after maintenance and expansion work completed in February 2026.

The figures suggest that lower imports were not matched by enough domestic supply to meet rising demand. Reducing import dependence will depend on domestic refineries delivering consistent volumes.