Nigeria’s energy landscape hit a historic milestone in April 2026, as the country spent a staggering ₦2.054 trillion on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). While the financial burden remains heavy—driven by an average pump price of ₦1,340 per litre—a structural revolution is occurring under the surface: Nigeria is rapidly breaking its decades-long addiction to imported fuel.
According to the latest “State of the Industry” fact sheet from the NMDPRA, local refineries, spearheaded by the Dangote Refinery, are now providing the vast majority of the nation’s fuel.
The Import Collapse The data reveals a dramatic shift toward import substitution. Between March and April, the daily volume of imported petrol crashed from 5.9 million litres to just 3.7 million litres. This void was filled by domestic production, which surged from 34.2 million to 40.7 million litres per day.
The trend was even more aggressive in other product segments:
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Diesel (AGO): Imports plunged from 6.4 million to 1.7 million litres per day as local production more than doubled.
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Cooking Gas (LPG): For the first time, imports were eliminated entirely in April, with 100% of the 4.5 kilotonnes daily supply sourced from domestic producers.
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Aviation Fuel (ATK): Supply rose by over 50%, reflecting a significant boost in refinery output to meet heightened aviation activity.
The Feedstock Friction Despite the jump in refining output, the industry is facing “feedstock” growing pains. Crude supply to local refiners actually dipped by 9% in April, falling to 612,000 barrels per day. The NUPRC noted that while local crude producers are willing to supply refiners, pricing disputes have slowed down the full take-off of these agreements.
Consumption vs. Buffers As Nigeria’s daily PMS consumption climbed to 51.1 million litres, industry experts are raising the alarm over shrinking “stock sufficiency.”
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PMS reserves: Dropped from 21.2 days to 17.7 days of cover.
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Diesel reserves: Fell sharply from 55.4 days to 39 days.
With stock buffers thinning, marketers warn that the market is increasingly vulnerable to supply shocks. To mitigate this, the government recently issued new licenses for the importation of 600,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products to act as a temporary cushion while domestic refineries continue to stabilize their output.
