Fresh data from the downstream regulator of the oil sector has revealed that marketers have resumed large-scale importation of refined petroleum products, choosing not to patronise local refineries.
Findings based on the latest fuel supply data obtained from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, showed that a staggering 71.38 per cent of Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption in May and June 2025 was met through imports.
The remaining 28.62 per cent was sourced from the $20bn Lekki-based Dangote Petroleum Refinery. This indicates that marketers, who are expected to access products locally with ease in the country, are instead spending the country’s scarce foreign exchange to import refined petroleum products.
The NMDPRA disclosed this during a presentation to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee for the month of June 2025. Our correspondent obtained a copy of the presentation on Sunday.
An analysis of the FAAC document revealed that out of a combined total of 3.25 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit consumed during the two months, 2.32 billion litres were imported, while only 927 million litres came from local refineries.
A comparative analysis of petroleum product supply and distribution showed that June’s PMS import stood at 34.10 million litres per day, making a total of 1.023 billion litres, while local production contributed just 15.2 million litres daily and 455,188,512 litres within the period.
In May, imported PMS averaged 43.22 million litres daily, totalling 1.297 billion, with local refining accounting for 15.74 million litres, totalling 472.07 million per month.
Further analysis disclosed that 455.2 million litres of PMS were trucked out from refineries, while depots accounted for 985.6 million litres, representing an 18.55 per cent increase from the 1.22 billion litres recorded in May. The average daily distribution was 48 million litres in June, from 54 million litres, with the number of trucks rising from about 37,000 in May and 32,000 in June.
It also showed a monthly supply variance of -16.42 per cent between May and June, dropping from 1.77 billion litres in May to 1.48 billion litres in June. With an average pump price of N905 per litre, marketers spent a total of N2.1tn on imports within the review period.
A state-by-state breakdown of truck out figures showed that Lagos State alone accounted for 205.66 million litres, the highest among the 36 states and the FCT. Ogun State followed with 88.69 million litres, while the Federal Capital Territory came third with 77.5 million litres.
Other top-consuming states included Oyo (72.8 million litres), Delta (68.5 million litres), and Kano (68.2 million litres). The data suggests that the southwestern and north-central regions continue to lead in fuel demand, a trend analysts attribute to higher population densities, economic activities, and increased vehicular movement in urban centres.
In contrast, states such as Yobe (11.7 million litres), Jigawa (9.4 million litres), and Ekiti (15.3 million litres) recorded the least volumes of PMS dispatched during the same period.
