Nigeria’s diesel supply plunged 40% in September — NMDPRA

NIGERIA’S diesel receipts plunged by 40 per cent in September 2026, while petrol stock cover remained below the 30-day threshold, the latest fact sheet released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has shown.

This report has raised fresh concerns about fuel supply resilience amid rising consumption of petroleum products.

The latest fact sheet released on Thursday showed that daily diesel receipts fell to 8.7 million litres in September from 14.5 million litres in August, the lowest level in 13 months.

The decline, according to the the report occurred as petrol consumption increased by seven per cent to 44.4 million litres per day, while aviation fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption rose by seven and eight per cent, respectively.

The data highlighted contrasting developments in the downstream petroleum sector, with demand for major petroleum products increasing even as receipts of some fuels declined.

According to the report, domestic diesel supply dropped by 39 per cent to 8.1 million litres daily from 13.3 million litres in August, while imports fell by 54 per cent to 600,000 litres per day from 1.3 million litres.

The combined decline in domestic supply and imports accounted for the sharp contraction in diesel receipts during the month.

Despite the fall in receipts, the report showed that diesel stock cover stood at 49.7 days, down from 51.6 days in August, remaining above the 30-day threshold.

It showed that petrol stock cover improved marginally from 22.9 days in August to 23.9 days in September but remained below the 30-day benchmark indicated by the regulator.

The figures suggest that although petrol inventories improved slightly, the country’s supply buffer remained below the specified threshold.

The NMDPRA fact sheet also showed that petrol consumption increased from 41.5 million litres per day in August to 44.4 million litres in September, representing a seven per cent rise.

The regulator reported petrol receipts of 38.7 million litres per day during the month, comprising 28.5 million litres from domestic sources and 10.2 million litres from imports.

 The reported increase in petrol consumption, alongside the lower September receipt figure, highlighted the importance of monitoring supply and inventory levels.

Meanwhile, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, according to the fact sheet recorded a utilisation rate of 105.98 per cent of its stated 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity.

Crude oil receipts by domestic refineries, according to the report declined by nine per cent to 618,000 barrels per day in September from 681,000 barrels per day in August.

In the cooking gas market, Nigeria recorded an increase in LPG receipts, which rose by nine per cent to 4,700 tonnes per day in September, according to the report.

The report shows that domestic sources supplied 4,500 tonnes daily, up 50 per cent from August, while imports fell by 85 per cent to 200 tonnes per day.

Domestic supply accounted for approximately 96 per cent of recorded LPG receipts, indicating the growing importance of local production in meeting demand.

LPG consumption also increased by eight per cent to 5,200 tonnes per day from 4,800 tonnes in August.

The report further showed that aviation fuel consumption rose by seven per cent to three million litres daily, while diesel consumption increased marginally by one per cent to 14.5 million litres per day.

Gas supply, including non-associated gas, the report said declined by two per cent to 4.822 billion standard cubic feet per day in September from 4.930 billion cubic feet per day in August.

Overall, the September figures presented a mixed outlook for Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry, with higher consumption of key products occurring alongside lower receipts of diesel and crude oil deliveries to domestic refineries.