The average daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, rose by 20.42 per cent month-on-month from 52.9 million litres per day in November to 63.7 million litres per day in December 2025.
On a year-on-year basis, it reflected a 21.8 per cent surge from 52.3 million litres per day recorded in December 2024.
This was revealed in the Fact Sheet for December 2025 released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
The NMDPRA Fact Sheet, which highlights the state of the midstream and downstream of the Nigerian oil and gas sector, also indicated that the domestic supply of petrol rose to 74.2 million litres per day in December 2025 from 71.5 million litres per day recorded in November.
The data show that while petrol imports by NNPC and other oil marketers dropped to 42.2 million litres per day in December from 52.1ML/D in November, supply from domestic refineries (Dangote) rose to 32ML/D from 19.5ML/D in the preceding month.
This means that Dangote Refinery accounted for all domestic supply of petrol, which rose by 64.1 per cent in December. The report further stated that Dangote Refinery’s average capacity utilization stood at 62.94 per cent.
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“PMS Supply in December 2025 increased due to a significant improvement in supply from DPRP (19.5ML/day to 32ML/day),” the report noted.
The figures released by the NMDPRA on Dangote Refinery’s average daily supply of petrol contradict recent claims made by the refinery.
While speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday in Lagos, Managing Director of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird, said the 650,000 barrels per day facility is now producing and supplying 50 million litres of petrol daily.
Bird, who also announced that the refinery has started 24-hour loading operations (including night-time loading), said sometimes the refinery surpasses the national requirement, reaching 52 million litres per day.
However, NMDPRA insisted that its data on domestic supply consists of volumes received into coastal depots and volumes trucked out from domestic refineries.
The downstream regulator confirmed that the three state-owned refineries operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri) produced zero litres of petrol as they remained shut throughout the month. It said that Port Harcourt refinery recorded evacuation of diesel produced while the refinery was operational before 24 May 2025, which averaged 0.247 million litres per day.
Diesel Supply and Consumption
The report shows that the average daily supply of diesel dropped by 12.25 percent to 17.9 million litres, down from 20.4 million litres in November. However, domestic consumption of AGO rose from 15.4ML/D in November to 16.4ML/D in December. Domestic refineries, including Dangote, Port Harcourt, Aradel, Edo, and Waltersmith, supplied 7ML/D, while imports accounted for 10.8ML/D.
LPG Supply
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies increased marginally to 5,201 metric tons per day in December from 5,000 mt/day in November. Daily consumption stood at 4,380 mt/day. Retail rates currently range from N1,120 to N1,600 per kilogramme.
National Fuel Sufficiency
The report indicates that the country had an average of 29 days’ stock cover for petrol in December, preventing the usual fuel queues during the festive season. It recorded 25 days of stock cover for diesel, 20 days for Aviation Fuel (ATK), eight days for cooking gas (LPG), and 51 days for Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO).
The report highlights a major shift in how the country meets its energy needs, driven largely by the ramp-up of the Dangote Refinery.
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The report shows that while imports still contributed more to the total daily petrol supply (42.2m litres per day against 32 million litres from domestic supply), they dropped by nearly 20 per cent in a single month.
Price Dynamics
In December 2025, petrol prices stabilised between ₦739 and ₦950 per litre, depending on the region and the retailer, following price reductions initiated by the Dangote Refinery to stay competitive against imports.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in mass communication.
