Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol is easing as domestic refineries, led by Dangote Refinery, ramp up production, with local plants operating at over 99 per cent capacity utilisation in April, according to the latest NMDPRA fact sheet.
Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol declined further in April as domestic refineries increased output and operated at near full capacity, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said.
The authority disclosed this in its latest April fact sheet published on its website.
According to the report, domestic refineries recorded an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 per cent in April, with Dangote Refinery achieving 100 per cent capacity utilisation for most days in the month.
The development comes as crude supplied to local refineries rose significantly, strengthening domestic petrol supply and reducing the need for large-scale imports that had dominated Nigeria’s fuel market for years.
Last week, data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that Nigeria’s domestic refineries received only 28.5 million barrels of crude oil in the first quarter of 2026, despite producers offering 68.7 million barrels.
The commission said 61.9 million barrels were allocated to domestic refineries between January and March, while producers collectively offered 68.7 million barrels.
The figures highlighted a persistent gap between crude volumes allocated, offered, and eventually supplied to local refiners, despite government efforts to prioritise domestic refining and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
However, in its latest April data, NMDPRA said crude receipts by domestic refineries rose to 18.37 million barrels from local sources, compared to 9.53 million barrels of imported crude, bringing total refinery crude receipts to 27.9 million barrels for the month.
The regulator said petrol production averaged 53.6 million litres per day during the month, exceeding the country’s official daily consumption benchmark of 50 million litres per day.
Actual average daily PMS consumption stood at 51.1 million litres, while domestic supply was put at 40.7 million litres per day, and exports reached 17.1 million litres daily.
These figures suggest that local refining capacity is increasingly taking over supply obligations previously met through imports, particularly following the operational expansion of Dangote Refinery and the contribution of modular refineries, while the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries remain shut down.
A review of the fact sheet showed that the average PMS daily supply in April stood at 44.4 million litres per day. Of this volume, 40.7 million litres per day came from domestic refineries, while only 3.7 million litres per day were imported, a sharp drop from 40.1 million litres per day recorded in March.
Industry experts say the shift is one of the clearest indicators that Nigeria’s downstream market is adjusting to the post-subsidy era, where domestic refining is expected to stabilise supply and reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
Beyond the strong output from Dangote Refinery, NMDPRA said three modular refineries—WalterSmith, Edo Refinery and Aradel—also contributed to local supply, particularly in diesel production.
The authority said the three plants supplied an average of 0.559 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel, per day in April.
WalterSmith recorded the highest average capacity utilisation at 56.14 per cent, while Edo Refinery posted 79.20 per cent and Aradel recorded 33.95 per cent.
The regulator also reported improved national fuel sufficiency, with Nigeria maintaining 18 days of petrol sufficiency in April.
Diesel stock sufficiency stood at 39 days, aviation fuel at 70 days, while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) recorded a 13-day reserve.
Despite the improved local supply outlook, petrol prices remained elevated nationwide amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, which has disrupted global crude supply following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
NMDPRA said average pump prices ranged from N1,271.50 per litre in Lagos to N1,371.50 per litre in Maiduguri, driven partly by high international crude prices, with dated Brent averaging $120.55 per barrel during the period.
Historically, Nigeria has relied heavily on petrol imports despite being Africa’s largest crude producer, largely because state-owned refineries have performed poorly.
Last week, the NNPC Limited announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with two Chinese firms to revive the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Analysts say the rising output from domestic refineries is expected to reduce pressure on foreign-exchange demand, improve supply security, and gradually reshape pricing dynamics in the downstream sector.
However, they note that sustained gains will depend on refinery stability, crude availability, transparent pricing, and the ability of domestic producers to consistently meet national demand.
