Petrol Consumption in Nigeria Averages 46.3m Litres Daily in May 2026
- Nigeria’s petrol consumption averaged 46.3 million litres per day in May 2026
- Total PMS availability reached 47.4 million litres per day, exceeding consumption by 1.1 million litres
- Nigeria’s refining system operated at 101.25% utilisation in May, with 16 days of PMS stock sufficiency
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that Nigerians consumed 46.3 million litres per day of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), or petrol, in May 2026.
According to the regulator's May 2026 Facts Sheet, the majority of the petrol consumed was from domestic refineries.
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Refining process in Nigeria
Domestic refining and supply sources collectively supplied an average of 44.7 million litres of PMS on a daily basis.
The refining industry produced an average of 44.7 million litres of petrol each day, while 41.5 million litres were sent to domestic distribution channels. 9.4 million litres were available as closing stock for petrol, the NMDPRA fact sheet for May 2026 revealed.
When additional supply channels were accounted for, total petrol availability rose to an average of 47.4 million litres per day. This resulted in a marginal daily surplus of roughly 1.1 million litres as supply exceeded average consumption.
The report also shows that the system utilisation rate for the refining process in Nigeria in the month of May was an average of 101.25%.
This means that the domestic refining capacity was exceeded on average for the month, Petroluemprice reports.
While domestic refining improved, the total supply of petrol still trailed regulatory demand estimates of 50 million litres a day, though it covered approximately 95% of anticipated demand.
The other products accounted for in the fact sheet show that 24.5 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) were generated per day by domestic refineries.
Data shows 18.2 million litres were sold within the country, while 6.5 million litres were exported, and of the 21.9 million litres of aviation turbine kerosene generated, 17.5 million litres were exported,d while 2.8 million litres were sold within Nigeria.
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Refineries in Nigeria's production
The report also shows a remaining petrol stock sufficiency of 16 days by the end of May, indicating adequate fuel supplies in the country.
Modular refineries supplied a combined average of roughly 648,000 litres of diesel daily. WalterSmith, Edo and Aradel Refineries, all modular operations, averaged from 62.9 per cent and up to 91.7% utilisation rates for the month.
NUPRC says Nigeria’s daily gas production rise
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that Nigeria’s natural gas production increased to 7.93 billion standard cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in May 2026, a 0.63% year-on-year increase from the 7.88bcf/d recorded in the same period of 2025.
The NUPRC, total gas production in May stood at 7.93bcf/d, representing a marginal decline of 0.12% from the 7.94bcf/d recorded in April 2026.
However, year-to-date average production improved to 7.87bcf/d, up from the 7.82bcf/d recorded in the first quarter of the year.
Source: Legit.ng
