KEY POINTS
- Dangote says rising imports are forcing it to export excess petrol.
- Its domestic petrol supply fell 21% in July to 25.8 million litres daily.
- Petrol imports rose 9% to 19.7 million litres per day.
The debate over Nigeria’s continued importation of refined petroleum products has intensified, with Dangote Refinery and petroleum marketers taking opposing positions on whether imports should continue despite the country’s growing domestic refining capacity.
The disagreement followed recent data showing that Dangote Refinery’s supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to the domestic market fell in July, while petrol imports increased.
Dangote Refinery said its increased export volumes were a direct response to uncertainty created by continued petrol imports into Nigeria.
According to the refinery, imported products are competing with locally refined fuel despite its ability to meet and exceed the country’s domestic petrol requirements.
The company said it remains committed to Nigeria’s energy security but argued that uncertainty over the volume of imported petrol makes it difficult to plan production, storage and inventory levels efficiently.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that Dangote Refinery supplied an average of 25.8 million litres of petrol per day to the domestic market in July, down 21 per cent from 32.5 million litres per day in June.
The refinery produced about 25.9 million litres per day in July and exported an average of 3.4 million litres daily.
The July domestic supply figure was the refinery’s lowest in 2026.
At the same time, petrol imports rose by about nine per cent, from 18.1 million litres per day in June to 19.7 million litres per day in July.
Refinery Blames Import Uncertainty
Dangote Refinery said it has maintained sufficient stocks and reserved products to guarantee steady supplies to the Nigerian market.
However, it said holding large inventories becomes commercially difficult when it has limited information about how much imported petrol will enter the country.
The refinery explained that surplus products that cannot be absorbed domestically have to be exported to regional and international markets to reduce storage and financing costs.
It stressed that increased exports should not be interpreted as a lack of commitment to Nigeria, insisting that the company has the capacity to meet domestic demand.
Dangote also argued that any future supply shortages resulting from market distortions caused by excessive imports should not be blamed on the refinery.
