The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has suspended the issuance of recent petrol import licences, citing improved native production that’s at the moment assembly home provide wants.
The regulator disclosed this in its February 2026 “State of the Midstream and Downstream Truth Sheet,” which confirmed that no new import licences have been granted through the month.
In keeping with the report, the Dangote refinery equipped a mean of 36.5 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also called petrol, per day to the home market in February. Nonetheless, imports averaging 3 million litres per day—the bottom stage recorded up to now yr—have been nonetheless equipped to the market.
Total petrol provide for February stood at 39.6 million litres per day, representing a shortfall of 25.4 million litrescompared to the 64.9 million litres equipped day by day in January.
The NMDPRA attributed the decline in provide largely to diminished imports.
“PMS provide in February 2026 diminished by 25.4 ML/D as a result of vital drop in imports,” the authority stated.
Reacting to the event, George Ene-Ita, spokesperson for the NMDPRA, stated the regulator halted new import licences as a result of native production at the moment meets home consumption ranges.
“At this second, there is no such thing as a must import as a result of native production is assembly provide. When there’s a shortfall, we’ll concern licensing to buffer native production,” Ene-Ita stated.
He defined that the transfer aligns with the provisions of the Petroleum Business Act (PIA), which permits petrol imports solely when home provide is inadequate.
“What is occurring just isn’t unusual. In the event you go by the dictates of the Petroleum Business Act (PIA), it says importation of PMS could be for buffering home wants,” he stated.
“If there’s a shortfall, it opens the necessity for importation. If nationwide production meets consumption, there is no such thing as a must import.”
In January 2025, the NMDPRA, beneath its earlier management, had defended the issuance of import licences, stating that the Dangote refinery on the time was unable to fulfill the nation’s petrol demand.
The regulator additionally supplied updates on the operational standing of presidency refineries.
The Port Harcourt refinery remained shut in February. Nonetheless, diesel produced earlier than its shutdown was nonetheless being evacuated, averaging 392,000 litres per day through the month.
The Kaduna refinery additionally remained closed, although the NMDPRA stated 27,000 litres of diesel per day have been trucked out to the home market from present stocks.
In the meantime, the Warri refinery remained inactive with no evacuation actions recorded through the interval.
Regardless of the shutdown of the foremost refineries, three modular refineries — Waltersmith, Edo, and Aradel — equipped a mean of 368,000 litres of diesel per day in February.
The regulator added that hydrocarbon introduction on the Waltersmith refinery remains to be ongoing.
Information from the very fact sheet confirmed that Nigeria’s petrol consumption benchmark stands at 50 million litres per day, whereas precise provide averaged 56.9 million litres day by day.
The NMDPRA additionally reported that home provide averaged 24.4 million litres of diesel per day and 4.77 billion normal cubic toes (scf) of pure gasoline day by day.
In keeping with the authority, diesel consumption averaged 20.3 million litres per day, whereas aviation gasoline consumption stood at 2.9 million litres day by day.
Boluwatife Enome
Times Nigeria