Nigeria Suspends New Petrol Import Licences as Local Supply Rises

Nigeria has suspended the issuance of new petrol import licences, saying increased domestic refining capacity is now sufficient to meet most of the country’s fuel demand.

The decision was disclosed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in its February 2026 State of the Midstream and Downstream Fact Sheet, which highlighted a sharp rise in local supply, largely driven by output from the Dangote Refinery.

According to the report, the refinery supplied an average of 36.5 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) per day to the domestic market in February, while imports averaged about 3 million litres daily, the lowest level recorded in the past year.

Total petrol supply during the month averaged about 39.5 million litres per day, down from 64.9 million litres per day in January, representing a decline of roughly 25 million litres.

NMDPRA spokesperson George Ene-Ita said the suspension aligns with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which permits fuel imports only when domestic production is insufficient to meet national demand.

The regulator also provided updates on the status of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries. The Port Harcourt Refinery remained shut in February, although diesel produced before the shutdown continued to be evacuated at an average of 392,000 litres per day.

The Kaduna Refinery also remained closed, with 27,000 litres of diesel per day supplied to the domestic market from existing stocks. Meanwhile, the Warri Refinery remained inactive, with no fuel evacuation recorded.

Despite the shutdown of the major refineries, several modular facilities – including Waltersmith Refinery, Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals Company and Aradel Refinery -collectively supplied an average of 368,000 litres of diesel per day in February.