Nigeria’s Refineries Fail to Meet Petrol Demand

Despite a combined refining capacity of 985,000 barrels per day from Nigeria’s three operational refineries, the country’s domestic facilities supply less than 50 per cent of its daily petrol consumption, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of NMDPRA, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja, revealing that Nigeria consumes approximately 50 million litres of petrol daily. The shortfall, he said, is covered through imports facilitated under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. “Without these imports, there would have been a fuel shortage,” Ahmed noted.

Represented by the Executive Director of Distribution System, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, Ahmed explained that domestic production lags despite the resumption of operations at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and the commissioning of the Dangote refinery. “Less than 50 per cent of the daily requirement between January and February 2025 was met by local refineries, with imports covering the gap,” Ukoha stated.

He noted a decline in national petrol consumption from an average of 66 million litres per day before the fuel subsidy removal in May 2023 to the current 50 million litres. Addressing concerns over supply sufficiency, Ukoha remarked, “If we do nothing to bridge that shortfall, we will have scarcity in our hands. The regulator is committed to ensuring sufficient petroleum product availability across the country.”

While none of the domestic refinery operators have imported petrol this year, Ukoha underscored the NMDPRA’s readiness to intervene if necessary. “Every Oil Marketing Company has the right to apply to the authority. If needed, we will require them to bridge the gap,” he said.

On product quality, the NMDPRA assured Nigerians that all imports meet the specifications set by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. Responding to misinformation circulating on social media, Ukoha cautioned against spreading false claims. “People who dabble within the social media space must be reminded that it is disrespectful if you imagine that Nigerians are gullible,” he concluded.