Petrol imports dominate Nigeria’s fuel supply in 2025 despite Dangote refinery output
Petrol imports remained Nigeria’s main source of fuel supply in 2025, accounting for 62.47 per cent of total Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption, despite increased output from domestic refineries, according to data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The regulator’s latest midstream and downstream sector factsheet shows that Nigeria consumed about 18.97 billion litres of petrol in 2025, with imports contributing 11.85 billion litres, while local refineries supplied about 7.54 billion litres, or 37.53 per cent of total demand.
This reliance persisted even as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery — Nigeria’s only large-scale operational refinery — ramped up production alongside smaller modular and state-owned facilities. NMDPRA attributed the continued dominance of imports to gradual refinery ramp-up, crude supply constraints, logistics challenges, and demand fluctuations following petrol price deregulation.
Dangote refinery accounted for virtually all domestic PMS supply in 2025, delivering 7.54 billion litres for the year, slightly below its projected annual target of 7.2 billion litres. Domestic supply peaked in December, when output rose to 32 million litres per day, narrowing the gap with imports.
Although domestic participation improved towards the end of the year, imports exceeded local supply in most months, underscoring structural challenges in Nigeria’s fuel market. The regulator noted that 2025 was the first full year of large-scale domestic PMS supply, limiting comparisons with previous years.
Meanwhile, petrol imports are expected to decline from 2026 if the Federal Government implements a proposed 15 per cent import tariff on PMS, aimed at boosting local refining and reducing foreign dependence.
The data provide one of the clearest snapshots yet of Nigeria’s post-subsidy petrol market, highlighting gains in domestic refining alongside the country’s continued reliance on imported fuel.
