Nigeria’s petroleum marketers and retailers imported about 154.22 million litres of petrol between March 17 and 23, 2025. This information comes from the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), which revealed that the fuel arrived through ports in Lagos and Calabar.

This increase in petrol imports suggests that marketers are looking for fuel sources outside the Dangote Refinery. According to the NPA, several ships carrying 115,000 metric tonnes of petrol arrived at different ports, including Tincan, Lekki Deep Seaport, and Calabar.

At the same time, the Dangote Refinery imported 654,766 metric tonnes of crude oil. The first petrol shipment allocated to West African Port Services arrived at the Dangote terminal on March 17, 2025. Several other vessels brought in fuel through Tincan and Calabar ports throughout the week.

The rise in petrol imports follows Dangote Refinery’s decision to stop selling fuel in Naira. This decision is linked to issues with its crude oil supply deal with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Due to this, the Petroleum Retailers Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria had previously stated that its members might look elsewhere for petrol supply. Many marketers now turn to NNPCL and other import sources to meet demand.

Reports indicate that as of March 12, 2025, the landing cost of imported petrol had dropped to between N774 and N797 per litre. However, Dangote Refinery’s ex-depot price remained higher at N815 to N825 per litre.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority also confirmed that Nigeria’s operational refineries produce less than 50% of the country’s petrol needs. This shortfall makes it necessary to import fuel to meet demand.

With fuel marketers increasing imports, Nigeria’s petrol supply situation remains a key topic of discussion in the oil and gas sector.