Nigeria resumes fuel imports as Dangote Refinery undergoes maintenance.

Nigeria has returned to high-volume petrol imports, with May imports reaching their highest level in four months, underscoring the country’s partial reliance on foreign fuel supplies.

Argus Media reports that market data showed petrol deliveries into Nigeria averaged 57,000 barrels per day in May, while exports were 23,000 barrels per day.

This shift reversed the net export status recorded in March and April, when local supply exceeded imports. Industry data attribute the rise in imports mainly to maintenance at the 700,000‑barrel‑per‑day Dangote Refinery in Lekki.

The refinery’s Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), a key unit for gasoline production, underwent maintenance during the month, reducing output and prompting additional fuel imports.

The temporary drop in local production led marketers and refiners to source more petrol from Europe, which supplied Nigeria’s entire import requirement in May. Norway was the largest supplier, followed by Italy and France.

Data also show that both the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Dangote Refinery participated in fuel imports during the period. NNPC imported about 11,000 barrels per day, while Dangote accounted for 27,000 barrels per day.

These figures highlight the unusual situation in which the refinery remains the country’s largest producer and one of its biggest petrol importers.

The increase in imports followed approval by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of substantial import allocations for the second quarter of the year.

Several independent marketers, including AA Rano, AYM Shafa, Bono, Matrix, NIPCO and Pinnacle, received permits to import petroleum products to support domestic supply.

Despite the maintenance‑related disruption, refinery operations continued, with significant volumes of blending materials and feedstock delivered to the Lekki facility.