Petrol imports jump to 60% in May, supplies hit 47 million p/d – NMDPRA

By Onu Okorie

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority NMDPRA May 2026 Petroleum Statistics report has displayed a sharp rebound in petrol imports even as diesel and jet fuel output from local refineries surged.

According to the Authority’s latest Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Statistics report, average daily imports of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, commonly known as petrol, climbed from 3.7 million litres per day in April to 5.9 million litres per day in May, an increase of roughly 60 percent. Marketers appear to have leaned more heavily on foreign suppliers during the month to plug gaps left by tighter domestic output.

Even so, local refineries kept their grip on the market. Total national PMS supply rose by about 7 percent month-on-month, from 44.4 million litres per day in April to 47.4 million litres per day in May, with domestic refineries contributing 41.5 million litres of that total, close to 88 percent of national supply.

A five-month snapshot compiled from the data illustrates how far the import bill has fallen since the start of the year, even with May’s uptick.

Petrol imports remain roughly 76 percent lower than January levels, despite the temporary spike recorded in May.

A less encouraging signal came from crude oil deliveries into domestic refineries, which fell by 5.6 percent month-on-month, from 612,000 barrels per day in April to 578,000 barrels per day in May. The dip in feedstock has stirred concern among industry watchers about the sector’s ability to sustain refinery output without leaning on imports, particularly after reports that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery Africa’s largest, temporarily scaled back operating rates at its gasoline unit because of feedstock constraints and technical issues.

Diesel told a different story. Supply of Automotive Gas Oil AGO jumped 84.3 percent, from 10.2 million litres per day in April to 18.8 million litres per day in May, with the entirety of that volume now coming from domestic refineries. Diesel imports, which stood at 1.7 million litres per day in April, fell to zero in May, a notable milestone for a product that has historically depended heavily on imports.

Jet fuel supply also expanded, with Aviation Turbine Kerosene ATK output rising 38.5 percent, from 2.6 million litres per day in April to 3.6 million litres per day in May, a boost that should ease some of the supply pressure that has periodically squeezed Nigerian airlines.

Not every indicator moved in the same direction. Liquefied Petroleum Gas LPG, supply dipped 8.9 percent, from 4.5 kilotonnes per day in April to 4.1 kilotonnes per day in May, a decline that could weigh on household energy costs if it persists.

Consumption, meanwhile, eased across both major fuels: daily petrol consumption fell 9.4 percent to 46.3 million litres per day, while diesel consumption slipped to 16 million litres per day from 17.3 million. Yet stock cover narrowed even as demand softened, petrol sufficiency dropped from 17.7 days to 16 days, and diesel sufficiency fell more sharply, from 39 days to 31 days, pointing to tighter inventory management across the supply chain.

Taken together, the figures paint a picture of a downstream sector still finding its footing on the path to fuel self-sufficiency. Domestic refiners now account for close to nine in every ten litres of petrol sold in Nigeria, but May’s import rebound is a reminder that refining capacity alone cannot guarantee stability without consistent crude feedstock. Analysts say the months ahead will hinge on how quickly crude allocation to refineries and operational reliability at facilities like Dangote’s, can be restored, even as diesel and jet fuel production point to a downstream market increasingly being reshaped by local refining investment.