Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has revealed that Dangote Petroleum Refinery remained the dominant supplier of petrol to the Nigerian market in May 2026, providing nearly nine out of every 10 litres consumed across the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to the regulator’s latest monthly performance report, the country recorded an average petrol supply of 47.4 million litres per day during the month, representing an increase from the 44.4 million litres supplied daily in April.
The report showed that local refining contributed 41.5 million litres per day, accounting for 87.55 per cent of the total supply, while imported products made up the remaining 5.9 million litres per day.
Dangote Refinery was solely responsible for the domestic petrol production figure, supplying the entire 41.5 million litres per day delivered from local sources. The facility, which has a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, produced an average of 44.7 million litres of petrol daily and operated above its installed capacity during the review period.
Despite the strong contribution from local refining, petrol importation increased significantly, climbing from 3.7 million litres per day in April to 5.9 million litres per day in May.
Meanwhile, fuel consumption dropped during the month. Average daily petrol demand stood at 46.3 million litres, lower than the 51.1 million litres recorded in April. National stock coverage also declined slightly from 17.7 days to 16 days.
The report further indicated major changes in the diesel market, with imports falling to zero in May. Domestic diesel production more than doubled, rising to 18.8 million litres per day from 8.5 million litres in April.
Dangote Refinery led diesel production with an average output of 24.5 million litres daily. Of that volume, 18.2 million litres were supplied locally, while 6.5 million litres were exported. Other modular refineries, including Waltersmith, Edo Refinery and Aradel, also contributed to domestic diesel availability.
In the aviation sector, local production exceeded domestic demand. Aviation fuel supply rose to 3.6 million litres per day from 2.6 million litres recorded a month earlier. Dangote Refinery produced 21.9 million litres daily, supplying 2.8 million litres to the local market and exporting 17.5 million litres. Aviation fuel reserves were sufficient to last 94 days, according to the regulator.
For cooking gas, average daily supply declined to 4.1 kilotonnes from 4.5 kilotonnes in April. Domestic production accounted for the bulk of the volume, while imports made up only a small fraction.
The NMDPRA also disclosed that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries remained inactive throughout May, leaving private and modular refineries as the main sources of locally refined petroleum products.
During the month, domestic refineries processed 17.92 million barrels of crude oil, slightly lower than the 18.37 million barrels received in April. The feedstock consisted of both locally produced and imported crude.
The report added that fuel prices varied across the country, with Lagos recording the lowest average pump price at N1,117 per litre, while Maiduguri had the highest at N1,408 per litre.
