Nigeria’s reliance on imported crude for local refining fell markedly in April 2026, following a surge in domestic crude allocations to refineries led by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and several modular plants.
Data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority showed that refineries received about 18.37 million barrels of crude during the month. Of this volume, roughly 17.96 million barrels were sourced locally, while imports accounted for just 410,000 barrels.
The figures represent a sharp turnaround from earlier months when refiners depended heavily on foreign crude. Import volumes had reached 9.43 million barrels in March and 4.25 million barrels in February.
Earlier in the year, the Dangote facility had raised concerns over limited crude supply, stating that it was receiving far fewer cargoes than required for optimal operations. The April data, however, indicates that the supply situation has improved significantly, though disagreements over crude pricing between producers and refiners persist.
On a daily basis, refineries processed an average of 612,000 barrels, with domestic crude contributing about 599,000 barrels per day. Imported crude fell to an average of just 13,700 barrels per day.
The Dangote plant, which took the largest share of the allocations, operated at near full capacity throughout the month, averaging more than 99 per cent utilisation and hitting full capacity on most days.
With steady feedstock, the refinery’s daily output averaged 53.6 million litres of petrol, 23.6 million litres of diesel and 22.9 million litres of aviation fuel. A large portion of these volumes was directed to the Nigerian market, while the rest was exported.
Petrol deliveries to the domestic market reached about 40.7 million litres per day, while imports of the product dropped to 3.7 million litres per day. Overall national petrol supply rose to 44.4 million litres daily in April, compared to 40.1 million litres in March.
Despite this increase, average daily petrol offtake across the country stood at 51.1 million litres, slightly above the projected 2026 benchmark. Fuel stock levels translated to sufficiency of about 18 days for petrol and 39 days for diesel.
Three modular refineries – WalterSmith Refinery, Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals, and Aradel Refinery also contributed to domestic supply, jointly providing over half a million litres of diesel daily, though their capacity utilisation varied.
Regulators described the trend as evidence of strengthening domestic refining capacity and improved energy security.
However, the drop in crude imports and higher refinery output did not translate into lower pump prices.
Retail prices remained elevated, influenced largely by tensions in the Middle East affecting global oil markets. Pump prices ranged widely across cities, with Lagos recording lower averages than Maiduguri, where prices climbed above N1,400 per litre.
Industry operators noted that the continued inactivity of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries remains a constraint. They argued that restoring those facilities to operation, alongside sustained crude supply to private and modular refineries, would be critical to easing price pressures and improving nationwide supply stability.
