MURIC Condemns 830,000-Tonne Petrol Imports Despite Rising Local Supply
The group says continued imports undermine Nigeria’s expanding refining capacity as Dangote Refinery supplies most domestically received petrol.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) approval of 830,000 metric tonnes of petrol imports for the fourth quarter of 2026, questioning the need for continued foreign supplies as domestic refining increases.
The group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement on Thursday, described the approval by NMDPRA as “unnecessary, wasteful, counterproductive, regressive and unpatriotic”.
The NMDPRA approved the Q4 import permits for six petroleum marketers, Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano, AYM Shafa, NIPCO, Pinnacle Oil and Bono Energy, with the approvals issued on September 18. The regulator said the imports were intended to ensure there are no supply gaps during the critical end-of-year period.
MURIC said the decision runs contrary to the growing contribution of local refineries, particularly the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
“The Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has approved 830,000 tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imports for the fourth quarter of 2026 despite ample evidence of petrol self-sufficiency in the country with the presence of local production efficacy courtesy of Dangote Refinery,” the group said.
But the latest NMDPRA data shows that Nigeria continues to receive both locally refined petrol and imported supplies. In August, average daily petrol imports fell 26 per cent from 19.7 million litres in July to 14.6 million litres, while domestic PMS receipts rose 39 per cent to 35.9 million litres per day.
Dangote Refinery accounted for about 71 per cent of Nigeria’s total domestic petrol receipts in August, according to the NMDPRA data, while domestic petrol receipts exceeded imports by about 21.3 million litres per day.
MURIC cited the refinery’s previous complaints over continued fuel imports, referring to its August statement that imported PMS had accounted for about 43 per cent of fuel supplied into the Nigerian market in July.
Dangote Refinery had said the continued arrival of imported PMS was creating uncertainty in its production, inventory and domestic demand planning, while maintaining that it had the capacity to meet and exceed Nigeria’s petroleum product requirements.
The refinery also said increased exports of surplus products were a response to market conditions and the need to manage excess inventory, rather than an inability to supply the Nigerian market.
MURIC argued that Nigeria should give greater priority to local refining.
“Dangote refinery exports fuel to foreign countries including Europe. It should be our pride. How can Nigerian petroleum authorities be importing the same fuel from outside?” Akintola said.
The group urged NMDPRA and other agencies in the petroleum sector to cooperate with domestic refineries and called for an immediate end to the importation of refined petrol.
“We expect NMDPRA and all other government agencies in the petroleum industry to cooperate with our local refineries. The importation of refined fuel should stop forthwith,” MURIC said.
The Q4 approvals come as Nigeria continues to balance expanding domestic refining with concerns over supply security and international market conditions. NMDPRA has said the latest imports are intended to provide an additional supply buffer ahead of the year-end demand period.
SPONSORED
SPONSORED
SONSORED
