Follow Us on Google
Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption fell to of 52.9 million litres in November, signaling a shift in fuel demand across the country.
The figure, released yesterday in the latest fact sheet by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), represents a decline from October’s 56.74 million litres per day.
Despite the lower consumption, total supply remained robust, driven by increased contributions from both local refineries and imports.
Local refineries supplied an average of 19.5 million litres per day in November, up from 17.08 million litres in October. Dangote Refinery led the surge, raising output from 18.03 million litres daily in October to 23.52 million litres in November.
Although still short of its full capacity of 35 million litres per day, the refinery’s growth marks a significant step toward reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel. In contrast, the NNPC-operated Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries recorded zero petrol output, with each facility undergoing maintenance, rehabilitation, or shutdowns.
To bridge the supply gap, imports rose sharply to 52.1 million litres per day in November, nearly doubling October’s 27.6 million litres. The regulator attributed the increase to earlier supply shortfalls, the need to bolster national reserves ahead of year-end peak demand, and delayed offloading of 12 vessels originally scheduled for October. NNPC acted as supplier of last resort to ensure national fuel security.
Other News
NMDPRA’s fact sheet highlighted that October 2025 recorded the highest petrol consumption in the past year, followed by November 2024 at 56 million litres and April 2025 at 55.2 million litres.
The performance of Nigeria’s public refineries continues to shape national fuel dynamics. Port Harcourt Refinery, restarted in late 2024, shut down again in May 2025 for maintenance. Warri Refinery briefly resumed operations in December 2024 but closed in January 2025 over safety concerns. Kaduna Refinery remains under rehabilitation with no production. These setbacks underscore the country’s ongoing dependence on imports and the critical role of private refineries in meeting demand.
Beyond petrol, Nigerians consumed an average of 15.4 million litres of diesel daily in November, alongside 2.5 million litres of aviation fuel and nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of cooking gas per day. NMDPRA noted that the verified data reflects the sector’s strategic transformation, including strengthened domestic production, job creation, safety improvements, and economic stability.
Dangote Refinery, meanwhile, confirmed its readiness to fully meet domestic petrol demand. The facility pledged to supply 1.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) monthly, equivalent to 50 million litres per day, starting December 2025. Output is expected to rise to 1.7 billion litres per month (57 million litres daily) from February 2026, according to a letter to NMDPRA.
With Dangote’s expanding capacity and imports stabilizing the market, Nigeria is steadily charting a path toward greater energy self-sufficiency, even as public refineries grapple with persistent operational challenges.
