By Our Correspondent
Nigeria’s daily petrol supply fell by 23.4 per cent in September, coinciding with a decline in crude oil deliveries to domestic refineries and the exhaustion of approved import permits, raising fresh concerns about the country’s ability to maintain steady fuel supplies.
The September 2026 report of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that average daily petrol receipts dropped to 38.7 million litres from 50.5 million litres in August. Crude deliveries to refineries also fell by 6.3 per cent to 15.97 million barrels from 17.05 million barrels, while domestic petrol supply declined by 20.6 per cent to 28.5 million litres daily.
Imports compounded the shortfall, falling by 30.1 per cent to 10.2 million litres daily from 14.6 million litres in August. The regulator attributed the decline partly to the exhaustion of approved import permit volumes. However, the figures also point to wider vulnerabilities, including inadequate crude allocations to local refiners, the high cost of procuring crude internationally and the absence of production from the state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery operated at 105.98 per cent of its installed capacity, producing 47.22 million litres of petrol daily. Yet, it supplied 28.5 million litres to the domestic market and exported 15.47 million litres daily. The refinery processed about 689,000 barrels of crude daily against average receipts of 618,000 barrels, drawing the shortfall from existing stocks. Its reduced domestic deliveries, despite high output, further constrained market supply.
Demand moved in the opposite direction. NMDPRA data showed that petrol consumption rose by seven per cent to 44.4 million litres daily in September, leaving a gap of 5.7 million litres between daily receipts and reported consumption. National petrol stock cover stood at 23.9 days, below the regulator’s 30-day benchmark, underscoring the risk of tighter supplies if deliveries fail to recover.
The decline highlights the challenge of balancing crude availability, refinery output, imports and domestic demand as Nigeria seeks to reduce dependence on imported fuel.
Economic analysts believe that without reliable crude supplies, adequate import arrangements and consistent domestic deliveries, the country could face renewed supply pressures, particularly as demand rises towards the festive season.