- Dangote Refinery supplied only 17.1m litres daily in October.
- Nigeria relied on 828 million litres of imported petrol to meet demand.
- Planned 15% import duty on fuel suspended amid supply concerns.
- PETROAN warns domestic production insufficient to meet national demand.
Nigeria’s quest for fuel self-sufficiency suffered another setback in October as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery struggled to meet the nation’s petrol demand. According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the refinery supplied just 512.4 million litres during the month, far below the 1.5 billion litres required nationally.
This shortfall forced marketers to import 828 million litres of petrol, averaging 27.6 million litres daily, to cover the gap. Rising national consumption, which reached 56.7 million litres per day, compounded the challenge.
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Despite assurances that the refinery could meet domestic demand, the latest figures highlight the gap between planned output and actual production. Dangote Industries’ Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, stated: “Our refinery is currently loading over 45 million litres of PMS and 25 million litres of diesel daily, which exceeds Nigeria’s demand.”
The Federal Government had considered a 15% import duty on refined products to protect local refineries. However, the plan was suspended after concerns about supply stability.
NMDPRA data show that over the last year, the refinery averaged 18.03 million litres per day, barely half of its 35-million-litre daily target. Peak output was 25 million litres per day in February 2025, but recent months have stabilized at around 17.1 million litres, far below national requirements.
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PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, said: “We support Dangote Refinery, but the reality is that domestic production cannot yet meet daily fuel demand. The data confirms our earlier warnings about potential shortages.”
Petrol sufficiency dropped to just nine days in October 2025, down from an average of 20 days in late 2024, raising the risk of supply shocks. Diesel and aviation fuel remain more stable, with 38 and 35 days’ sufficiency, respectively.
