February Records Lowest Petrol Imports, Local Refining Dominates Supply

•Nigeria maintains 31-day petrol sufficiency

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria recorded its lowest petrol import levels in February 2026 as domestic refining led largely by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery accounted for the overwhelming share of fuel supplied to the local market, according to the latest industry data.

An official factsheet on Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations showed that total daily supply of petrol fell sharply from 64.9 million litres per day in January to 39.6 million litres per day in February.

The decline represented a 25.4 million litres per day reduction, equivalent to a 39.1 per cent drop in total supply during the period. The report attributed the decline primarily to a significant drop in petrol imports, indicating that Nigeria relied far less on foreign refined products in February than it did in the previous month.

Despite the reduction in total supply, domestic refining contributed the bulk of available petrol in the country. The factsheet showed that average domestic petrol supply in February stood at 36.5 million litres per day, meaning that locally refined fuel accounted for roughly 92 per cent of the total product supply during the month.

This indicates that imported petrol represented only about 3.1 million litres per day, or roughly 8 per cent of total supply, underscoring the growing role of domestic refineries in Nigeria’s fuel supply chain.

The figures reflect an emerging structural shift in the downstream sector as local refining capacity, particularly from the Dangote refinery, gradually reduces the country’s dependence on imported fuel.

The document also stated that the calculation of national fuel sufficiency for February included gross PMS stock held at the Dangote refinery, further highlighting the refinery’s role in stabilising domestic supply.

As a result, Nigeria maintained a 31-day petrol sufficiency level during the month, meaning the country held enough fuel stocks to meet demand for approximately one month. Fuel consumption data indicated that domestic demand remained relatively stable.

Average daily petrol consumption stood at 36.6 million litres, which is slightly below the total daily supply of 39.6 million litres. This suggested that available fuel volumes were sufficient to meet market demand despite the sharp decline in imports.

However, broader consumption statistics show that overall petrol demand across the economy remained elevated. Based on the national consumption benchmark of 50 million litres per day, actual petrol usage measured through truck-out volumes averaged 56.9 million litres per day, representing about 13.8 per cent higher than the benchmark level.

In the same vein, diesel demand also exceeded projections by a wide margin. While the benchmark for diesel consumption was 14 million litres per day, actual average daily usage reached 20.3 million litres, meaning diesel consumption was approximately 45 per cent above the expected level.

Besides, aviation fuel demand remained largely stable relative to projections. The benchmark consumption level for aviation turbine fuel was 3 million litres per day, while actual daily usage averaged 2.9 million litres, representing a marginal 3.3 per cent shortfall.

Domestic refining activity also extended beyond petrol production. Local refineries supplied an average of 8.2 million litres per day of diesel during February, although operational disruptions affected some facilities.

In addition, three modular refineries collectively supplied an average of 0.368 million litres per day, contributing modest but steady volumes to domestic fuel supply.

Meanwhile, the WalterSmith refinery continued the introduction of hydrocarbons into its processing system, signalling ongoing efforts to ramp up refining activity within Nigeria’s modular refinery segment. Across the broader petroleum products market, consumption remained robust.

Cooking gas demand also remained strong, with average daily consumption reaching 4,194 metric tonnes. Nigeria’s strategic fuel reserves remained adequate across key products.

Diesel reserves were sufficient for 48 days, aviation fuel stocks could last 73 days, while cooking gas reserves stood at 22 days. Beyond liquid fuels, Nigeria’s gas sector also maintained strong supply levels. Total average daily gas supply in February reached 4.771 billion standard cubic feet per day.

Of this volume, 3.018 billion cubic feet per day was supplied to the Nigeria LNG plant, while 1.763 billion cubic feet per day was delivered to the domestic market.

Similarly, gas utilisation across sectors showed that power generation consumed 0.536 billion cubic feet per day, commercial users accounted for 0.628 billion cubic feet, and gas-based industries utilised about 0.440 billion cubic feet per day.

Meanwhile, several strategic gas infrastructure projects continued to advance. The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline reached 79.23 per cent completion, while the OB3 River Niger crossing project stood at 59.50 per cent completion.

Other projects include the Escravos-Odidi pipeline expansion at 67.34 per cent, the Odidi-Warri expansion project at 11.18 per cent, and the ELPS midline compressor project, which has reached 93 per cent completion.