Nigeria’s imports of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, have plummeted by 67 per cent—from 44.6 million litres per day in August 2024 to 14.7 million litres by mid-April 2025, according to the latest supply data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed, revealed the figures on Tuesday while addressing State House correspondents during the sixth edition of the Meet-the-Press series hosted by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
“We have seen a significant drop in fuel imports as local production ramps up,” Ahmed said. “From contributing almost nothing last August, our domestic refineries are now supplying over 26 million litres per day. That’s a 670 per cent increase.”
According to him, the sharp rise in local supply was driven by the phased restart of the Port Harcourt Refining Company in late November and the increasing output from modular refineries across the country.
However, he noted that while the country made progress, local and imported supplies combined have only exceeded the government’s 50 million litres per day consumption benchmark twice in the last eight months—November (56 million litres) and February (52.3 million litres).
“In March, we came close with 51.5 million litres per day. But so far in April, we’ve averaged just 40.9 million litres,” Ahmed said.
He also clarified that NMDPRA issues import licenses strictly based on the country’s supply needs. “We are not just handing out licenses. Our import decisions are guided by real-time supply data and projections,” he stated.
The development reflects the government’s broader push to revive local refining and reduce dependency on foreign fuel, a key pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s energy reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
