NMDPRA Data Shows How Much Petrol Nigerians Consumed in December Festive Season
- Nigerians spent over N1 trillion on petrol in December 2025, the highest consumption in the year
- Increased festive travel and commercial activities drove higher fuel usage
- Petrol imports and Dangote refinery supplies both supported December fuel availability
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
Nigerians spent an estimated N1.58 trillion on petrol in December 2025, according to official fuel consumption data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), PUNCH reported.
Source: Getty Images
The regulator disclosed in its December factsheet that average daily petrol consumption stood at 63.7 million litres throughout the month. With December having 31 days, total nationwide petrol usage was estimated at about 1.97 billion litres.
Fuel consumption high due to travels, celebrations
According to the NMDPRA, fuel consumption remained high during the Yuletide period, largely due to increased travel, festive movements and heightened commercial activities associated with the end-of-year celebrations.
Based on the total volume consumed and the average pump price of about N800 per litre recorded across major cities, consumer spending on petrol in December was estimated at N1.58 trillion. While prices varied slightly depending on location, N800 per litre broadly reflected the national average during the period following deregulation.
It will be recalled that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a reduction in petrol prices in December, cutting the gantry price from about N900 to N739 per litre.
However, reports showed that many filling stations, particularly in parts of northern Nigeria, sold petrol above N800 per litre during the festive season, except in Lagos and some parts of Ogun where lower prices were recorded.
The regulator explained that December typically records higher fuel consumption than other months due to holiday travel, increased logistics activities and greater reliance on petrol-powered generators by households and businesses.
These factors contributed to the elevated spending recorded during the month.
63.7 million litres consumed in December
NMDPRA data showed that the December 2025 daily consumption figure of 63.7 million litres was the highest recorded since October 2024. By comparison, daily petrol consumption stood at 52.3 million litres in December 2024.
The authority also reported that petrol imports and domestic refining both contributed significantly to supply in December.
Nigeria imported about 1.31 billion litres of petrol during the month, while the Dangote refinery supplied approximately 992 million litres to the domestic market.
Source: Getty Images
In total, average daily petrol supply stood at 74.2 million litres in December, with imports accounting for 42.2 million litres per day and Dangote refinery supplying about 32 million litres per day.
The regulator noted that improved output from the Dangote facility played a key role in boosting overall supply.
The N1.58 trillion spending estimate highlights the continued financial burden of petrol on Nigerian households and businesses, even as increased local refining and imports helped stabilise fuel availability in a fully deregulated market.
NMDRA reports petrol consumption decline in November
Legit.ng reported earlier that Nigeria’s petrol consumption dropped to 52.9 million litres daily in November, according to the data from the NMDPRA.
The factsheet released by the agency showed a decline from the 56.74 million litres recorded in October, indicating a decline in national fuel demand and consumption
Local refineries delivered an average of 19.5 million litres per day in November, compared to 17.08 million litres in October.
Source: Legit.ng
