A report tracking the movements of motor tanker vessels, which monitors cargo tanks entering the country, revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has imported 159,000 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) between February 1, 2025, and February 12, 2025.
Calculated based on 1,341 litre per metric ton, the state-owned oil company has imported approximately 213 million litres of petrol, according to the Motor Tanker Vessels Report.
This is coming at a time when Dangote Refinery is still embroiled in a legal dispute with NNPCL and some major oil marketers over the importation of refined petroleum products, which are already being produced locally without any shortfall.
The report’s breakdown shows that on Monday, February 10, NNPCL received two cargoes carrying 37,000 metric tons of PMS each. That is a total of 99.2 million litres.
On Saturday, February 8, it received a cargo of 20,000 metric tons of PMS, which equals 26.82 million litres.
On Wednesday, February 12, it received another cargo of 37,000 metric tons of PMS, which is approximately 50 million litres.
While the aforementioned cargoes were received in the Lagos ports, NNPCL received a cargo of 20,000 metric tons of PMS at the Calabar port on February 5. 20,000 MTS equals 26.82 million litres.
The data also shows that NNPCL has imported 40,000 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) so far in February. This is over 40 million litres of diesel.
The national oil firm received two shipments+ of AGO on February 3. One supplied 15,000 MT, while the second supplied 25,000 MT.
Other oil and gas retail and logistics companies also received shipments of both PMS and AGO. They include Rainoil, WOSBAB, MENJ, and FRADO, among others.
According to information from a source, despite the January 2025 deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles to reduce air pollution across the region, Nigeria has continued to import petroleum products that exceed the permissible sulphur limit under this regulation.
An industry expert pointed out that the NNPCL and other importers continue to bring in petroleum products that exceed the permissible limit under the regulation. He added that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has deliberately remained silent on the issue, despite Nigeria’s leadership within ECOWAS, and continues to allow the importation of substandard products.
“It is an embarrassment to the leadership of ECOWAS that Nigeria has failed to lead by example. Why are we still importing adulterated products, polluting the air, and exposing over 200 million Nigerians to danger when we now have local refineries capable of producing high-quality products?” he queried.
According to a report from the source, a senior government official stated that the continued importation of refined petroleum products below ECOWAS’s stipulation, despite the restart of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, raises questions about the sincerity of NNPCL.
He said, “NNPC claims to have reactivated two of its refineries. However, it continues to import petroleum products into Nigeria. On 10 February, NNPC imported over 100,000 metric tonnes of petrol. Given that Nigeria’s monthly consumption has now decreased to around 800,000 tonnes, it is perplexing why NNPC continues to import such large volumes. More importantly, it is strange that a company with two ‘functional’ refineries would continue to do so.”
“NNPC is owned by Nigerians, and the company must be accountable to them for the optimal use of the resources under its care. They must particularly explain what has been achieved with the substantial funds spent on the refineries,” the official concluded.
“NNPC is owned by Nigerians, and the company must be accountable to them for the optimal use of the resources under its care. They must particularly explain what has been achieved with the substantial funds spent on the refineries,” the official concluded.
In December 2024, the NNPCL announced the restart of the 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which was approved for rehabilitation in 2021 for $897 million. This announcement followed reports that the Port Harcourt refinery’s 60,000 bpd phase one had begun refining key fuels. Nigeria operates four national refineries: one in Kaduna, one in Warri, and two in Port Harcourt.
The refurbishment of these refineries, in addition to the operations of the Dangote refinery, was expected to reduce Nigeria’s importation of petroleum products and make the country fuel-independent.
However, the importation of refined products continues on a large scale despite the growing number of local refineries.