Nigeria's daily petrol imports surged by more than 207 per cent in June despite continued output from local refineries, as marketers significantly increased offshore purchases to complement domestic supply, the latest Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Statistics released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) have shown.
An analysis of the NMDPRA June 2026 factsheet by Petroleumprice.ng indicates that average daily PMS imports rose to 18.1 million litres per day in June from 5.9 million litres recorded in May, representing an increase of 12.2 million litres daily or about 207 per cent month-on-month.
The sharp increase came as total average daily petrol supply also expanded to 50.6 million litres in June, compared with 47.4 million litres supplied in May, reflecting an additional 3.2 million litres per day supplied to the domestic market.
The report shows that receipts from domestic refineries declined noticeably during the month. Local refinery contributions fell from 41.5 million litres per day in May to 32.5 million litres per day in June, a drop of nine million litres daily or approximately 21.7 per cent.
The reduction in domestic refinery supply was largely offset by the sharp increase in imported volumes, allowing overall nationwide petrol availability to improve. Imported products accounted for about 35.8 per cent of total daily supply in June, compared with only 12.4 per cent in May, underscoring the growing role of imports in balancing the market.
The June figures represent the highest level of petrol imports recorded since February, when imports averaged only three million litres per day as local refinery production, particularly from Dangote Refinery, dominated domestic supply. Since then, imported volumes have risen steadily from 5.9 million litres in March to 3.7 million litres in April, back to 5.9 million litres in May before accelerating sharply in June.
Despite the increase in imports, domestic refineries remained the single largest source of petrol supplied to the Nigerian market. Their 32.5 million litres per day contribution accounted for nearly two-thirds of the country's total PMS supply during the month.
The latest supply pattern comes amid ongoing changes in Nigeria's downstream petroleum market, including evolving crude supply arrangements for domestic refineries, shifting import economics and adjustments in marketers' procurement strategies. Industry participants have also continued to monitor developments surrounding Dangote Refinery's temporary transition to dollar-denominated product sales and ongoing discussions with the Federal Government over expanding crude supply under the naira-for-crude framework.
The NMDPRA data suggests that while local refining remains central to Nigeria's fuel supply chain, marketers increasingly relied on imported cargoes in June to bridge the shortfall created by reduced domestic refinery output. Whether the higher import volumes persist in the coming months is expected to depend largely on crude availability to local refineries, refinery utilisation rates and government efforts to strengthen domestic refining under the ongoing energy reforms.