The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery supplied 87.55 per cent of the petrol consumed in Nigeria in May 2026, reinforcing its position as the country’s dominant source of locally refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
According to the regulator’s monthly performance report released on Friday, Nigeria recorded an average daily petrol supply of 47.4 million litres during the month, an increase from 44.4 million litres recorded in April.
Of the total supply, domestic refineries accounted for 41.5 million litres per day, while imports contributed 5.9 million litres daily. The report stated that the entire domestic PMS supply came from the 650,000-barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery.
The facility produced an average of 44.7 million litres of petrol per day in May, operating at an average capacity utilisation of 101.25 per cent.
Despite the increase in local refining, petrol imports rose significantly to 5.9 million litres per day in May, representing a 59.5 per cent increase from the 3.7 million litres imported daily in April.
Meanwhile, the country’s average daily petrol consumption declined to 46.3 million litres from 51.1 million litres recorded in the previous month. National petrol stock sufficiency also dropped slightly from 17.7 days in April to 16 days in May.
In the diesel market, imports fell to zero during the review period as domestic production surged to 18.8 million litres per day from 8.5 million litres in April.
Dangote Refinery remained the leading producer of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), recording average production of 24.5 million litres per day. Of this volume, 18.2 million litres were supplied to the domestic market, while 6.5 million litres were exported.
The report also highlighted contributions from modular refineries, including Waltersmith Refinery, Edo Refinery and Aradel Holdings, to domestic diesel production.
For aviation fuel, average daily supply increased to 3.6 million litres in May from 2.6 million litres in April. Dangote Refinery produced an average of 21.9 million litres daily, supplying 2.8 million litres to the domestic market and exporting 17.5 million litres. Aviation fuel stock sufficiency stood at 94 days during the month.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, recorded a slight decline in supply, with average daily availability dropping to 4.1 kilotonnes from 4.5 kilotonnes in April. Domestic production contributed 4.0 kilotonnes per day, while imports accounted for 0.1 kilotonnes.
The NMDPRA further disclosed that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries remained inactive throughout May, leaving domestic fuel production dependent on Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators.
The report also showed that domestic refineries processed 17.92 million barrels of crude oil during the month, slightly below the 18.37 million barrels recorded in April. The crude supply comprised 15.84 million barrels sourced locally and 2.08 million barrels imported.
Across the country, pump prices for petrol varied considerably, ranging from ₦1,117 per litre in Lagos to ₦1,408 per litre in Maiduguri.
The latest figures have also renewed questions over continued fuel imports. NMDPRA’s April factsheet indicated that Dangote Refinery produced about 53 million litres of petrol per day against national demand of 51.1 million litres, suggesting local production was sufficient to meet domestic consumption. Despite this, the regulator continued issuing import licences, a development that has sparked debate among industry stakeholders over compliance with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which prioritises locally refined petroleum products where domestic supply is adequate.
