Nigeria’s Daily Petrol Consumption Surges Despite N1,370 Per Litre Price

Nigeria’s Daily Petrol Consumption Surges Despite N1,370 Per Litre Price

Nigeria’s daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, increased by 10.78 per cent in April 2026 despite higher pump prices across the country, according to new data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The report showed that Nigeria’s petrol consumption rose to 52.4 million litres per day in April, up from 47.3 million litres recorded in March.

The increase came amid another sharp rise in the retail price of petrol following the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. Average petrol prices in Nigeria climbed to about N1,370 per litre in April from N1,180 per litre in March, representing a 13.8 per cent increase within one month.

Despite the surge in pump prices, fuel demand remained strong, highlighting the continued dependence of millions of Nigerians on petrol for transportation, electricity generation and business operations amid persistent power supply challenges.

According to the NMDPRA, combined fuel supply from the Dangote Refinery and imported petrol also rose by 10.7 per cent to 44.4 million litres per day in April, compared to 40.1 million litres supplied daily in March.

A breakdown of the figures revealed that supply from the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery increased significantly by 19 per cent to 40.7 million litres per day in April from 34.2 million litres in March.

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At the same time, petrol imports into Nigeria dropped sharply by 37.3 per cent to 3.7 million litres daily from 5.9 million litres recorded in March, reflecting the growing role of local refining in meeting domestic fuel demand.

Industry analysts say the latest figures underscore the increasing dominance of the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector as the country gradually reduces dependence on imported fuel.

The NMDPRA further disclosed that the Dangote Refinery achieved an average capacity utilisation rate of 99.12 per cent in April, while the government-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna remained inactive during the period.

The report also showed a major decline in imported crude oil, which fell by 95.65 per cent to 0.41 million barrels in April from 9.43 million barrels recorded in March.

Meanwhile, crude oil supply from Nigerian upstream operators to local refineries rose by 56 per cent to 17.99 million barrels in April compared to 11.48 million barrels supplied in March.

The development comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to boost local refining capacity, reduce pressure on foreign exchange and strengthen energy security.

In a related development, figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that Nigeria’s crude oil production increased slightly to 1.663 million barrels per day in April 2026 from 1.546 million barrels per day recorded in March, including condensates.

However, the country still failed to consistently meet its crude oil production quota approved by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

According to the NUPRC, average daily crude oil production stood at about 1.4 million barrels per day in April, while total production including condensates hovered around 1.6 million barrels per day.

The Federal Government has continued to target crude oil production of two million barrels per day in order to improve revenue generation, boost foreign exchange earnings and support implementation of the 2026 budget.

Energy experts believe that increased output from the Dangote Refinery could help stabilise fuel supply, reduce import dependence and position Nigeria as a major exporter of refined petroleum products in Africa.

Nigeria’s Daily Petrol Consumption Surges Despite N1,370 Per Litre Price