Nigeria spent about N9tn importing petrol in 2025, highlighting its continued reliance on foreign fuel despite growing investment in local refineries.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that oil marketers imported Premium Motor Spirit worth N8.96tn during the year. Although this represents a 41.9% drop from the N15.42tn recorded in 2024, it is still higher than the N7.51tn spent in 2023 after fuel subsidies were removed.
Petrol remained one of the country’s most imported products throughout the year, reflecting ongoing supply gaps in the downstream sector.
This trend persisted even with increased domestic refining activities, including operations at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other local facilities.
In total, Nigeria consumed 18.97 billion litres of petrol in 2025, with imports accounting for over 62% of supply, while local refineries contributed about 37%.
The figures underscore a continuing imbalance between Nigeria’s refining capacity and actual output, raising concerns about energy security, foreign exchange pressure, and the sustainability of the petroleum sector.
