By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) imported 159,000 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) between February 1 and February 12, 2025, according to a confidential report obtained by Nairametrics. This translates to approximately 213 million litres of petrol, despite local refining capacity.
The revelation comes amid an ongoing legal dispute between NNPCL and Dangote Refinery over refined petroleum imports. Dangote Refinery has argued that domestic production is sufficient to meet national demand without reliance on imports.
Breakdown of the report indicates:
February 10: Two cargoes carrying 37,000 metric tons each (99.2 million litres).
February 8: A cargo of 20,000 metric tons (26.82 million litres).
February 12: Another cargo of 37,000 metric tons (50 million litres).
February 5: A cargo of 20,000 metric tons received at Calabar port (26.82 million litres).
Additionally, NNPCL imported over 40 million litres of diesel in February through two shipments on February 3, supplying 15,000 and 25,000 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), respectively.
Industry experts have raised concerns over Nigeria’s continued importation of high-sulphur petroleum products, despite the January 2025 deadline set by ECOWAS for cleaner fuel adoption. Nigeria reportedly spent over N407.4 billion to import 302.7 million litres of petrol and 104.8 million litres of diesel in just 12 days.
Despite claims of refinery revitalization, NNPCL continues large-scale imports, prompting calls for greater accountability. A senior government official questioned the rationale behind spending N126.5 billion to import 136.7 million litres of petrol in a single day, given Nigeria’s reported daily consumption of 30 million litres.
“The government must ensure transparency in NNPCL’s operations. If our refineries are truly functional, why is NNPCL still importing refined products?” the official asked.
The NNPCL previously announced the restart of the 125,000 bpd Warri Refinery and the 60,000 bpd phase one of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The growing presence of local refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, was expected to reduce import dependency, but current import figures suggest otherwise.
