Nigeria significantly ramped up its crude oil purchases from the United States in 2025, importing more than 42 million barrels within the first ten months of the year, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Between January and October, Nigeria imported 42.13 million barrels, representing a significant increase from 15.79 million barrels during the same period in 2024. The increase—about 167 per cent year-on-year—signals a clear shift in Nigeria’s crude sourcing strategy.
Imports More Than Double Year-on-Year
The scale of the jump shows that Nigeria more than doubled its dependence on US crude within a single year. Analysts attribute the trend to rising refinery demand, tight domestic supply, and increasing reliance on imported feedstock, particularly among privately owned refineries.
In contrast, imports in 2024 remained modest and uneven. Monthly volumes rarely exceeded four million barrels and dropped sharply to 1.04 million barrels in June, highlighting supply volatility during the year.
Monthly Data Show Momentum in 2025
EIA data show that imports gathered pace as 2025 progressed.
Nigeria recorded no US crude imports in January, mirroring the previous year. In February, imports stood at 3.11 million barrels, slightly below the 3.61 million barrels recorded in February 2024.
Momentum strengthened in March, when imports surged to 5.25 million barrels, exceeding March 2024 levels by nearly 1.83 million barrels. April volumes eased to 2.04 million barrels, but still surpassed the 1.54 million barrels imported in April 2024.
In May, Nigeria imported 3.79 million barrels, about 1.71 million barrels more than a year earlier.
The sharpest increase came in June, when imports jumped to 9.16 million barrels—almost nine times the volume recorded in June 2024. That single month accounted for over 20 per cent of Nigeria’s total US crude purchases for the year so far.
Imports remained elevated in July at 4.17 million barrels, slightly above July 2024 levels. August followed with 6.24 million barrels, one of the highest monthly figures for the year. September and October each recorded steady inflows of 4.19 million barrels.
Overall, the 2025 import profile shows stronger consistency and higher peaks than 2024, when volumes were lower and more erratic.
Refinery Demand Drives Import Growth
Analysts attribute the surge largely to Nigeria’s growing need for imported crude to meet refinery feedstock requirements, especially as privately owned refineries expand operations.
With 42.13 million barrels already imported in ten months, Nigeria’s US crude intake has nearly tripled year-on-year. If current trends persist, full-year volumes could rise further.
The data also point to a gradual ramp-up in crude intake at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, where US light sweet crude has emerged as a preferred feedstock due to its suitability for complex refining processes.
Domestic Supply Gap Persists
Despite Nigeria’s status as Africa’s largest oil producer and an OPEC member, domestic refiners continue to struggle to secure local crude. Historically, the country has exported crude oil while importing refined products, largely due to weak refining capacity.
Although the Dangote refinery was expected to reverse this pattern by relying mainly on Nigerian crude, recent data show it still depends heavily on imported barrels to optimise operations.
The Federal Government earlier disclosed that 67.66 million barrels of crude were supplied to local refiners between January and August 2025. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said deliveries followed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) framework.
According to the commission, the volumes went to modular, state-owned, and privately operated refineries, including Waltersmith, Aradel Energy, and facilities run by NNPC Limited.
However, supply fell well short of demand. Local refiners requested 123.48 million barrels for the first half of 2025, meaning actual deliveries met only about 55 per cent of their requirements.
Dangote Refinery Leans on US Crude
Industry data show that the Dangote refinery increasingly turned to US crude to bridge the supply gap.
According to commodities analytics firm Kpler, the refinery imported crude at an average rate of 590,000 barrels per day in July, the highest monthly intake on record.
US barrels made up about 60 per cent, or 370,000 bpd, while Nigerian grades accounted for the remaining 40 per cent, mainly Bonny Light, Amenam, and Escravos.
Kpler noted that July marked the first time US crude overtook Nigerian supply in Dangote’s import mix. Domestic sourcing challenges and pricing dynamics drove the shift.
For months, refinery operators have complained that producers favour export markets where transactions settle in dollars. This preference leaves domestic refiners exposed to foreign exchange pressures, even under the government’s naira-for-crude framework.
As Nigeria’s crude output rose to 1.63 million barrels per day in August, export flows continued to dominate, reinforcing the paradox of a major oil producer increasingly dependent on imported crude to keep its refineries running.