Nigeria’s daily diesel receipts fell to a 13-month low of 8.7 million litres in September, down 40 percent from 14.5 million litres in August, as domestic supplies and imports declined, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The regulator’s September 2026 fact sheet showed that domestic diesel supplies fell 39 percent to 8.1 million litres per day, while imports by oil marketing companies dropped 54 percent to 0.6 million litres daily.
The sharp fall extended a contraction that began in August, when daily diesel receipts fell 39 percent from 23.6 million litres in July. September’s figures put daily receipts 63 percent below July levels.
The September decline came as daily diesel consumption rose one percent to 14.5 million litres, exceeding the regulator’s demand benchmark of 14 million litres.
Despite the drop in domestic receipts, Dangote Petroleum Refinery produced an average of 24.32 million litres of diesel daily in September. The refinery supplied 8.14 million litres to the domestic market and exported 15.91 million litres daily, while adding 0.27 million litres to stock.
The refinery operated at an average 105.98 percent of its installed crude-processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day during the month, processing about 689,000 barrels daily against crude receipts of 618,000 barrels per day. The difference was drawn from refinery inventories.
The decline in diesel receipts followed a similar contraction in petrol supplies. Daily petrol receipts fell 23 percent to 38.7 million litres in September from 50.5 million litres in August, as domestic supplies dropped 21 percent and imports declined 30 percent.
However, diesel stocks remained above the regulator’s sufficiency benchmark. NMDPRA reported 49.7 days of diesel stock cover in September, down from 51.6 days in August and above the required 30-day threshold.
According to the report, modular refineries supplied an average of 620,000 litres of diesel daily in the review month, equivalent to 4.3 percent of domestic diesel consumption. Aradel and OPAC operated below optimal capacity amid feedstock challenges and maintenance shutdowns.
The figures reflect a sharp monthly decline in diesel entering Africa’s most populous nation’s domestic market, even as Dangote Refinery maintained substantial production and exported a significant share of its output.
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Feyishola Jaiyesimi is a writer and storyteller. She currently writes for the energy desk at BusinessDay with a focus on renewable energy and environmental issues. She began her journalism career as an agricultural reporter and now covers the energy sector, including oil, gas, electricity, environment, and renewables. She has been selected for professional training by the US Consulate, Lagos. She is a 2025 Dataphyte Biodiversity Reporting Fellow. Feyishola holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Environmental Biology from Ekiti State University.
