Nigeria has recorded a significant 67 per cent drop in its daily petrol (Premium Motor Spirit) imports, falling from 44.6 million litres per day in August 2024 to 14.7 million litres by April 13, 2025, according to data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
According to The PUNCH, the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, revealed this on Tuesday during the sixth edition of the “Meet-the-Press” briefing hosted by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
According to Ahmed, the drastic decline in imports is due to a sharp increase in local refining capacity, which rose by over 670 per cent in the same period.
“In August 2024, local production was practically non-existent. But by April this year, we are seeing 26.2 million litres per day from local plants, compared to just 3.4 million litres recorded in September,” he stated.
He attributed this leap to the phased resumption of operations at the Port Harcourt Refining Company in late November and additional output from modular refineries across the country.
Despite this progress, the total supply of petrol only exceeded the government’s daily consumption benchmark of 50 million litres on two occasions—56 million litres in November and 52.3 million litres in February.
Ahmed noted that, although March recorded 51.5 million litres, the supply in the first half of April dropped to 40.9 million litres daily, indicating the need for sustained production efforts.
“Our import licenses are issued based on actual national demand. As local production increases, we adjust imports accordingly to avoid oversupply,” Ahmed explained.
The shift toward domestic refining aligns with the government’s broader strategy to boost self-sufficiency in energy and reduce foreign exchange pressure caused by fuel imports.
