Nigeria's refineries are increasingly turning to foreign crude oil, with imports soaring by a massive 151.5% in July. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shows that these facilities imported 5.13 million barrels of crude last month. This is a steep climb from the 2.04 million barrels imported in June.
This dramatic increase in imported crude comes as the supply from Nigeria's own oil fields to its refineries took a serious nosedive. In July, domestic crude supply to the refineries dropped by 25.4% compared to the previous month. Supply fell from 17.08 million barrels in June to just 12.75 million barrels in July. So, while the refineries are getting more crude overall – 17.88 million barrels in July compared to 19.12 million in June – a much larger chunk of that is now coming from outside Nigeria.
Looking at the numbers month by month, July's import volume of 5.13 million barrels was a significant rebound. It's higher than the 2.08 million barrels imported in May and the meagre 0.41 million barrels in April. However, it’s still not the peak seen this year; back in March, imports hit a high of 9.43 million barrels. The pattern for 2026 has been quite a rollercoaster. It started with 0.71 million barrels in January, jumped to 4.25 million in February, peaked in March, then crashed down to near-zero in April before climbing back up.
Now, let’s talk about the shining star in this picture, the Dangote Refinery. According to the same NMDPRA data, it was running at about 71.09% capacity in July. This massive facility churned out approximately 25.9 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), often called petrol, every single day during that month. It also produced 19.1 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), which is diesel, and 15.6 million litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) daily. It supplied these products domestically, but interestingly, it exported significant quantities too: 3.4 million litres of PMS, 11 million litres of AGO, and 11.6 million litres of ATK daily by the end of July.
Of course, not all refineries are performing at Dangote's level. The overall picture shows a worrying reliance on imported crude at a time when Nigeria should ideally be refining its own oil for its own needs. This shift away from domestic crude supply to refineries is something to watch. This is especially true when you consider the billions of dollars spent trying to revive and maintain our own refining capacity. The question is, why is local crude not making it to our refineries?
What does it mean for the country's self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products?