Nigeria’s domestic crude oil supply to local refineries shrank by 6.3 per cent in September 2026, dropping to 15.97 million barrels compared to 17.05 million barrels in August, official industry figures have revealed.
The reduction in crude allocations triggered a sharp contraction in national petrol distribution, compounded by a steep drop in fuel imports following the exhaustion of approved import permit quotas.
Data published on Thursday in the September 2026 Midstream and Downstream Report by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) indicates that average daily petrol receipts plummeted by 23.4 per cent to 38.7 million litres, down from 50.5 million litres in August.
Dangote Refinery Hits 105% Utilisation via Stockpile Drawdowns
Amid the broader supply strain, the Dangote Refinery sustained high-volume operations, running at an impressive 105.98 per cent capacity utilisation during September.
The mega-refinery processed approximately 689,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) despite receiving an average of only 618,000 bpd in new crude deliveries. To bridge the 71,000 bpd gap, the facility drew down its stored crude inventories.
Nigeria’s Crude Intake Breakdown (Jan – Sep 2026)
Total Crude Processed: 156.51 million barrels
Domestic Crude Share: 125.85 million barrels (80.4%)
Imported Crude Share: 30.66 million barrels (19.6%)
Dual Squeeze Hits Petrol Market as Permits Expire
The NMDPRA highlighted that both local refining production and foreign fuel imports suffered major contractions in September:
Local Refineries Output: Dropped 20.6 per cent to 28.5 million litres daily, compared to 35.9 million litres in August.
Petrol Imports: Fell 30.1 per cent to 10.2 million litres daily, down from 14.6 million litres.
Despite the slump, domestic refiners dominated national supply, supplying 73.6 per cent of all petrol consumed in September, while foreign imports accounted for 26.4 per cent.
Below Benchmark Operations
September’s daily average receipt of 38.7 million litres represents a notable shortfall against the 13-month national benchmark average of 49.7 million litres per day recorded between September 2025 and September 2026.
Across that 13-month window, domestic refineries supplied an average of 30.4 million litres daily (61.2% of total market supply), while imported fuel accounted for 19.3 million litres daily (38.8%).
