The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) imported approximately 213mn litres of petrol in February 2025, despite the restart of key domestic refineries.

The imports, tracked by Nigerian news outlet Nairametrics through motor tanker vessel data, come amid ongoing litigation between the Dangote Oil Refinery and the NNPCL over refined fuel imports.

Dangote contends that domestic production meets demand, yet the NNPCL's shipments included multiple cargoes, with Lagos ports receiving more than 176mn litres and Calabar port handling nearly 27mn litres. The company also brought in 40mn litres of diesel during the same period.

Energy analysts who spoke to Nairametrics raised concerns about the imports, particularly as Nigeria has committed to adopting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) fuel standards, which require low-sulphur fuel imports from January 2025. Despite these regulations, some of the imported fuel reportedly exceeds the permissible sulphur limits.

The financial implications are significant, with NGN407.4bn ($271.2mn) spent on petrol and diesel imports in just 12 days. This continues a broader trend, with more than NGN5.5 trillion ($3.6bn) spent on fuel imports between October 2024 and January 2025.

The persistent reliance on imports raises questions about the effectiveness of recent refinery upgrades. The Warri Refinery, with a 125,000 barrel per day (bpd) capacity, was restarted in December 2024 following an $897mn overhaul. Meanwhile, the first phase of the Port Harcourt refinery, with a 60,000 bpd output, also resumed operations.

A senior government official criticised the NNPCL's actions, noting that domestic fuel consumption is approximately 800,000 tonnes monthly, yet imports remain high.