The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has revealed that Nigeria has recorded a significant drop in the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol, with daily imports falling by 30 million litres between August 2024 and April 2025.
Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed disclosed this on Tuesday during the “Meet-the-Press” briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the State House in Abuja.
According to him, PMS imports declined from 44.6 million litres per day in August 2024 to 14.7 million litres per day by mid-April 2025, representing a 67 per cent reduction.
Ahmed attributed the development to increased local production capacity, driven by the gradual resumption of operations at the Port Harcourt Refining Company in late November 2024, as well as output from modular refineries.
“After contributing virtually nothing in August, local plants delivered 26.2 million litres per day in early April, a jump from the 3.4 million litres recorded in September, the first month with measurable output,” he said.
He explained that domestic PMS supply increased by 670 per cent within the eight-month period, stressing that the improved performance of local refineries was responsible for the sharp decline in imports.
The NMDPRA boss, however, noted that total PMS supply surpassed the government’s estimated daily consumption target of 50 million litres only twice in November 2024, when 56 million litres were supplied, and in February 2025, with 52.3 million litres.
He added that supply slightly dipped to 51.5 million litres in March before falling further to 40.9 million litres in the first half of April.
Ahmed assured that the Authority would continue to grant import licences strictly on supply gaps, adding that the priority will remain on boosting domestic refining capacity for energy security.
