Petrol imports fall 26% to 14.6M litres/day in August, NMDPRA reports
Nigeria’s daily average petrol imports dropped 26% to 14.6 million litres in August 2026, down from 19.7 million litres in July, according to the NMDPRA’s August factsheet. Diesel imports fell even more sharply to 1.3 million litres per day from 7.9 million litres, while LPG imports rose to 1.3 million litres from 0.9 million litres. The Dangote Refinery ran at 105.21% utilisation, producing 41.94 million litres of petrol, 18.01 million litres of diesel and 24.48 million litres of aviation fuel daily. Domestic receipts of petrol averaged 35.87 million litres per day, with exports of 9.73 million litres and closing stock of 360.4 million litres. The Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries recorded zero production, whereas modular refineries showed varied utilisation: WalterSmith 64.77%, Edo Refinery 90.43%, Aradel 58.77% and OPAC 16.97%. Despite the volume drop, Nigeria’s petrol import bill surged 989.4% quarter-on-quarter to N952.15 billion in Q2 2026, reflecting higher prices. This shift signals growing domestic refining capacity and reduced reliance on imported fuel, which could ease pressure on foreign reserves and subsidy costs. However, the sharp rise in the import bill suggests pump prices may remain volatile. Will increased local output translate to lower petrol prices for consumers, or will export‑driven pricing keep costs high?