Nigeria Hits 88% Local Petrol Supply As Diesel Imports Hit Zero

Nigeria is steadily breaking the chains of fuel import dependency, and the numbers no lie. New data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority proves that sovereign production is winning. Local refineries now produce 88% of the nation's petrol and 100% of its diesel. A 59.5% spike in May petrol imports only highlights the urgent need to secure uninterrupted crude feedstock for domestic facilities to fully break free from foreign supply chains.

How Did Nigeria's Local Refineries Perform in May?

The NMDPRA report shows that domestic refineries supplied 41.5 million litres of petrol daily in May. This is the highest level recorded in the last five months. Overall, our local refineries now account for 88% of the total petrol supply, a massive jump from just 62% in January. That is what we call taking back control.

Now, let us talk about diesel. Automotive Gas Oil supply surged by 84.3%, jumping from 10.2 million litres per day in April to 18.8 million litres per day in May. The real victory here is that imports dropped completely to zero. Every single drop of diesel consumed in Nigeria in May came from our own domestic sources. That is a 121.2% increase in local diesel production. No foreign supplier can hold us to ransom on diesel anymore. We are doing this ourselves.

Why Did Petrol Imports Spike by 59.5% in May?

Despite the massive local wins, petrol imports saw a sharp rebound in May. Imported volumes surged by 59.5%, rising from 3.7 million litres per day in April to 5.9 million litres per day. This happened because crude oil supply to our domestic refineries dropped by 5.6%, falling from 612,000 barrels per day to 578,000 barrels per day.

When the local refineries do not get enough crude feedstock, marketers have to bridge the gap with imports. It is that simple. The total petrol supply in May reached 47.4 million litres per day, up from 44.4 million litres in April. The local refineries did the heavy lifting, supplying 41.5 million litres, while imports covered the remaining 5.9 million litres.

What Challenges Are Affecting Domestic Refinery Output?

The spike in imports directly ties back to operational and feedstock challenges at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Reuters reported that Africa's largest refinery had to reduce the operating rate of its gasoline-producing unit by about 34% starting May 21. Industry monitor IIR Energy noted the facility initially struggled with insufficient feedstock after processing lighter crude grades. A technical glitch with a flue gas slide gate valve also slowed things down, though repairs are nearly done.

For decades, Nigeria produced the crude but imported the refined products. That neocolonial model kept our economy bleeding. Now, the game has changed. But the NMDPRA data proves that unless our local refineries get adequate and uninterrupted crude feedstock, we will still need imported fuel to fill the gaps during maintenance or supply hiccups.

What Is the Current State of Other Petroleum Products?

Jet fuel is also flying high. Aviation Turbine Kerosene supply increased by 38.5%, moving from 2.6 million litres in April to 3.6 million litres in May. Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking saw a slight dip, falling from 4.5 kilotonnes per day to 4.1 kilotonnes per day.

Consumption levels moderated across the board. Petrol consumption dropped by 9.4% to 46.3 million litres per day, while diesel consumption fell from 17.3 million litres to 16 million litres per day. Petrol stock sufficiency also tightened from 17.7 days to 16 days, and diesel stock dropped from 39 days to 31 days. Domestic gas supply also saw a slight dip of 3.1%.

Is Nigeria Ready to Fully End Fuel Imports?

Nigeria is not fully ready yet, but it is close. Imported petrol volumes dropped 76% between January and May, falling from 24.8 million litres per day to 5.9 million litres per day. Securing consistent and uninterrupted crude feedstock for local refineries is the final step to permanently ending fuel imports.

Africa must refine its own resources. We have the capacity, and now we have the proof that it works.

The journey to full energy independence is not a straight line, but the direction is undeniable. We are taking back our sovereignty, one locally refined barrel at a time.