Oil Marketers
By Olamilekan Abayomi
Nigeria’s petrol importers are still dominating the market, accounting for 62% of the country’s petrol supply in 2025, despite the presence of domestic refineries. According to data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the country’s daily petrol consumption rose to an average of 63.7 million litres in December 2025, with 42.2 million litres coming from imports and 32 million litres from domestic refineries.
The Dangote Refinery, which started production in September 2024, has been supplying an average of 32 million litres of petrol per day, up from 19.5 million litres per day in November 2025. However, this is still below the refinery’s planned domestic supply of 50 million litres per day .
Between August 2024 and October 2025, Nigeria imported about 15.01 billion litres of petrol, representing nearly 69% of the total national petrol supply. The NMDPRA data shows that total PMS supply for the period stood at 21.68 billion litres, with 6.67 billion litres coming from domestic refining.
The country’s reliance on petrol imports has deepened, with imported petrol accounting for 72.64% of total national consumption in the last nine months. This is despite the commissioning of the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery.
The federal government had totally deregulated the petrol sector in September 2025, stopping the controversial fuel subsidies which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited was paying on imported petrol. However, marketers have continued to import petrol, citing cheaper landing costs compared to the Dangote Refinery’s ex-depot price.
The competition between importers and the Dangote Refinery has been intense, with importers accusing the refinery of stifling competitors with consistent price reductions. The refinery has been exporting petrol to other countries, including the United States, while also supplying the local market.
Nigeria’s petrol imports have been declining, however, with imports falling from 54.30 million litres per day in September 2024 to 15.11 million litres per day in October 2025. Local production has been increasing, with the Dangote Refinery producing an average of 18.93 million litres per day in October 2025.
The country’s refining capacity is expected to improve, with several refinery projects underway. However, achieving full local dominance will take time, and the competition between importers and domestic refineries is likely to continue.
