KEY POINTS
- Domestic petrol supply rose to over 32 million litres per day in December.
- Dangote Refinery posted peak utilisation of about 71 percent.
- Higher output lifted national petrol sufficiency to 29 days.
Nigeria’s domestic petrol supply from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals climbed sharply in December, marking one of the strongest monthly gains since the Lekki facility began phased operations, according to new regulatory data.
Supply surge after leadership change
Data published in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s December 2025 fact sheet show average domestic supply of Premium Motor Spirit rose to 32.01 million litres per day. That compares with about 19.5 million litres per day recorded in November, an increase of roughly 64 percent within a single month.
The improvement followed internal restructuring and changes in leadership across the downstream regulatory space after the exit of Farouk Ahmed as chief executive of the NMDPRA. Industry participants say the period coincided with closer coordination between regulators, refinery operators and product off-takers, easing longstanding bottlenecks that had constrained local deliveries.
The fact sheet shows Dangote Refinery contributed about 5.78 million litres per day to national PMS supply in December. Higher refinery utilisation and smoother evacuation of products into coastal depots, alongside increased truck-outs into the domestic market, supported the rise in availability.
Dangote Refinery petrol supply outlook
Regulatory data indicate the refinery reached a peak capacity utilisation of about 71 percent during the month. The NMDPRA described the performance as strong for December, while average utilisation across domestic refining assets exceeded 63 percent after months of uneven operations earlier in the year.
Higher local output helped lift national petrol sufficiency to roughly 29 days in December. That marked a clear improvement from September and October, when domestic supply dropped below demand benchmarks. Nigeria’s daily petrol demand benchmark for 2025 stands at about 50 million litres per day, though actual truck-out consumption averaged 63.7 million litres per day in December, reflecting cross-border flows and inventory build-ups ahead of the festive season.
According to Business Day, the regulator attributed the rebound to increased production from the Dangote facility, strategic imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited as supplier of last resort, and deliberate efforts to rebuild inventories. Twelve vessels initially scheduled to discharge in October reportedly spilled into November, supporting supply levels into December.
Aliko Dangote has repeatedly said the refinery’s priority is to meet domestic demand while maintaining export volumes. Analysts say sustained gains are central to cutting import dependence and easing price volatility as operations move closer to nameplate capacity.
Pump prices in November ranged between N910 and N982.50 per litre in major cities. Beyond petrol, diesel supply remained constrained, while cooking gas output stayed relatively strong, with domestic production accounting for more than 70 percent of supply. Regulators expect the refinery’s domestic role to expand further in 2026 as additional units stabilise.
