Petrol Consumption Drops to 52.9m Litres Daily in November, as Dangote Increases Production
- Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption fell from 56.74 million litres in October to 52.9 million litres in November, according to NMDPRA
- Dangote Refinery increased production, while the NNPCL also increased importation to bridge supply gaps and build reserves
- NMDPRA says Nigeria is moving toward greater energy self-sufficiency, even though public refineries continue to make zero output due to operational challenges
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Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, tech and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s petrol consumption dropped to 52.9 million litres daily in November, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The latest fact sheet released by the agency shows a decline from the 56.74 million litres recorded in October, indicating a decline in national fuel demand and consumption, The Sun reported.
Source: Getty Images
However, NMDPRA noted that despite the reduced consumption, overall supply levels remained strong due to increased contributions from domestic refineries and imports. Local refineries delivered an average of 19.5 million litres per day in November, compared to 17.08 million litres in October.
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Dangote increases output; import rises
As reported by Vanguard, the Dangote Refinery increased production by 37.7%, as it produced 23.52 million litres in November, from 18.03 million litres in October. Although this is below its full capacity of 35 million litres per day
In contrast, the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), recorded no petrol production during the period. All three facilities were either under maintenance, rehabilitation, or shutdown.
To meet national demand, importation of petrol rose significantly to 52.1 million litres per day in November, almost double the 27.6 million litres recorded in October. The regulator attributed the increase to earlier supply gaps, efforts to build reserves ahead of peak year-end demand, and the delayed offloading of 12 vessels expected in October.
NMDPRA confirmed that most of the imports were made by the NNPC, which acted as the supplier of last resort to maintain national fuel security. It added that 12 vessels initially scheduled to discharge in October spilled over into November, boosting supply for the month.
The agency also reported that October 2025 recorded the highest petrol consumption in the past year, followed by November 2024 with 56 million litres per day and April 2025 with 55.2 million litres.
NMDPRA highlighted that challenges in Nigeria’s public refineries continue to affect national supply patterns. Port Harcourt Refinery, which resumed operations in late 2024, shut down again in May 2025 for maintenance. Warri Refinery briefly restarted in December 2024 but closed in January 2025 due to safety concerns. Kaduna Refinery remains under rehabilitation.
These issues with the government-owned refineries deepen the country’s reliance on imports and the growing importance of private refineries, NMDPRA stressed.
Last month, NNPC Limited’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, said the national oil company was seeking technical partners to jointly operate the refineries and bring their output in line with modern product specifications.
Beyond petrol, Nigeria consumed an average of 15.4 million litres of diesel per day in November. Daily usage also included 2.5 million litres of aviation fuel and about 4,000 metric tonnes of cooking gas.
Source: Getty Images
NMDPRA said the verified data reflects ongoing reforms in the sector aimed at improving domestic output, safety, jobs, and economic stability.
Dangote refinery pledges to meet domestic demand
Legit.ng reported that last month, the Dangote Refinery pledged to fully supply the domestic petrol market, as it reitrated that there is no need for the NMDPRA to continue issuing import licences.
In a letter to downstream regulator, the company said it is prepared to deliver 1.5 billion litres of petrol monthly, about 50 million litres per day, starting December 2025.
The refinery promised to increase output to 1.7 billion litres per month, or 57 million litres daily, from February 2026.
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Source: Legit.ng
