Crude oil supplies to Nigerian refineries declined by 6.3 per cent to 15.97 million barrels in September 2026 from 17.05 million barrels in August, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority said on Thursday. The decline coincided with a sharp 23.4 per cent drop in average daily petrol supply, which fell to 38.7 million litres from 50.5 million litres in the previous month. The NMDPRA attributed the fall to lower domestic petrol production and reduced imports as approved import permit volumes were exhausted.
Data from the September 2026 Midstream and Downstream Report showed that between January and September this year, refineries received a combined 156.51 million barrels of crude oil. Of this total, 125.85 million barrels came from domestic sources, accounting for 80.4 per cent of intake, while 30.66 million barrels were imported crude representing 19.6 per cent. Despite the monthly decline, domestic refineries remained the larger source of petrol supply in September, providing approximately 73.6 per cent of total receipts compared with 26.4 per cent from imports.
The Dangote Refinery operated at a utilisation rate of 105.98 per cent in September, processing approximately 689,000 barrels per day against average crude receipts of 618,000 barrels per day. The difference of about 71,000 barrels per day was drawn from refinery inventory, meaning the facility processed more crude than it received during the month. Over a 13-month period from September 2025 to September 2026, average daily petrol receipts stood at 49.7 million litres, with domestic refineries supplying an average of 30.4 million litres per day, or 61.2 per cent, while imports contributed 19.3 million litres per day, or 38.8 per cent.
The NMDPRA said domestic petrol supply fell 21 per cent below August levels in September, while imports dropped by 30 per cent. For petrol consumers and businesses relying on fuel supply, the reduced availability of petrol during September and below-average supply levels compared with the 13-month average suggests potential pressure on fuel accessibility and pricing.