Nigeria Still Heavily Dependent on Fuel Imports Despite Growth in Local Output

Nigeria imported about 1.31 billion litres of petrol in December 2025 even though domestic refining has been increasing.

In the same month, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery supplied around 992 million litres of petrol, pushing total daily fuel supply to about 74.2 million litres, with imports accounting for roughly 42.2 million litres per day.

While imports were lower than November 2025’s 1.57 billion litres, the numbers show that Nigeria still relies heavily on foreign fuel even as local production rises.

Industry officials have pointed to seasonal demand pressures during the Christmas period, and some marketers continue to prefer imported petrol over local supplies.

Dangote has criticised regulators for issuing fuel import licences despite having sufficient stocks, and has reduced its own petrol prices to make local fuel more competitive.

The refinery is also expanding its operations to 24‑hour loading to help boost domestic supply further and reduce dependence on imports.