Despite issuing petrol import licenses to six firms in May, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said that last month’s spike in the importation of the product was due to strategic transformation in the energy sector.

NMDPRA had, Friday, disclosed that the country’s petrol importation figure jumped by 60 per cent in May, as it warned that lower consumption and shrinking reserve days add new complexities to the market.

The regulator said in its May Fact Sheet, covering May 1–31, that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol imports climbed to 5.9 million litres per day (ML/D), indicating a 59.5 per cent month‑on‑month increase, while total daily petrol supply rose to 47.4 ML/D from 44.4 ML/D in April.

The report also showed that domestic refining accounted for 41.5 ML/D of that supply, with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery supplying the bulk of local volumes.

The NMDPRA said trucked‑out petrol consumption fell by 9.4 per cent to 46.3 ML/D in May from 51.1 ML/D in April, adding that the decline in construction and other economic activities contributed to lower fuel offtake.

It is, however, noted that supply remained below the country’s 50 ML/D benchmark for demand.

The authority said national petrol stock sufficiency fell to 16 days in May from 17.7 days in April, while reserves dropped as low as 13.75 days mid‑month before recovering to around 19 days by month‑end, adding that the thinner buffer increases vulnerability to supply shocks.

On refining, the NMDPRA said the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals operated at 101.25 per cent capacity utilisation in May, producing 44.7 ML/D of petrol. It said the refinery supplied 41.5 ML/D to the domestic market and exported other products, while Nigeria’s three state‑owned refineries — Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna — remained shut throughout the month.

The regulator said three modular refineries; WalterSmith, Edo and Aradel, operated and together supplied 0.648 ML/D, with Edo at 91.66 per cent utilisation, WalterSmith at 65.31 per cent, and Aradel at 62.94 per cent. It said the OPAC and Duport modular refineries were shut down.

According to the report, the rise in petrol imports, despite higher local output, reflected inventory management and market-balancing needs.

It said the 5.9 ML/D of imports in May followed a strategic decision by some marketers to replenish stocks after mid‑month dips in reserves and to cover shortfalls in regions where logistics or distribution constraints limited inland deliveries.

Commenting on diesel, the regulator said diesel imports fell to zero in May as Dangote ramped up domestic diesel output to 18.8 ML/D, up from 8.5 ML/D in April. It said total daily diesel supply rose 84.3 per cent to 18.8 ML/D and that national diesel stock sufficiency stood at 31 days, down from 39 days in April.

On aviation fuel and LPG, the NMDPRA said aviation turbine kerosene supply rose to 3.6 ML/D in May and consumption to 3.1 ML/D, slightly above the country’s 3 ML/D benchmark, with aviation fuel stocks at 94 days. It said liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply fell 8.9 per cent to 4.1 kilotonnes per day (KT/D) while consumption eased to 4.5 KT/D, leaving an average daily supply shortfall.

The regulator said LPG retail prices ranged from N1,150 to N1,800 per kilogram and that national LPG stock was sufficient for 11 days.

The NMDPRA said indicative petrol pump prices, calculated using an average NFEM exchange rate of N1,370.82 per US dollar and a crude oil price of $107.56 per barrel, ranged from N1,377.43 per litre in Ibadan to N1,472.43 in Maiduguri.

It said actual monitored averages ranged from N1,317 per litre in Lagos to N1,408 per litre in Maiduguri, reflecting regional distribution and logistical differences.

Turning to gas, the regulator said total domestic gas supply dipped 3.1 per cent to 4.984 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscf/d) in May from 5.142 Bscf/d in April. It said 2.851 Bscf/d went to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant while 2.133 Bscf/d served the domestic market, meaning the export‑oriented NLNG continued to take a larger share of available gas than local users. It provided sectoral allocations, saying gas‑to‑power received 0.557 Bscf/d, commercial users 0.635 Bscf/d and gas‑based industries 0.510 Bscf/d.

The NMDPRA said several gas processing plants ran near or above design capacity — Soku at 100.28 per cent and Gbaran‑Ubie at 95.28 per cent — while others underperformed, including Utorogu NAG1&2 at 40.10 per cent and the OB/OB Associated Gas Plant at 22.11 per cent.

On infrastructure, the regulator reported that major gas pipeline projects were nearing completion, noting that the AKK Gas Pipeline was 94.3 per cent complete, the OB3 River Niger Crossing 96 per cent complete, and the ELPS Midline Compressor Project 94.88 per cent complete.

NMDPRA described the May statistics as evidence of Nigeria’s “strategic transformation in the energy sector, emphasising reduced imports, strengthened domestic production, job creation, safety improvements, and economic stability,” the fact sheet read.

It would be recalled that earlier last month, in May, NMDPRA in what was described as a notable shift in the country’s downstream petroleum policy, granted six major marketers permits to import a combined total of 720,000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) into Nigeria.

The beneficiaries include; NIPCO, AA Rano, Matrix, Shafa, Pinnacle, and Bono.

According to allocation details, NIPCO is expected to import 120,000 metric tonnes; AA Rano, 150,000 metric tonnes; Matrix, 150,000 metric tonnes; Shafa, 120,000 metric tonnes; Pinnacle, 120,000 metric tonnes; and Bono, 60,000 metric tonnes.

The recently-appointed NMDPRA boss Rabiu Umar had told the senate committee, during his screening, that one of his aims is if confirmed for the job is to work towards ensuring petrol supply security in the downstream sector.

The issuance of the import licenses came amid claims by the Dangote Refinery of capacity to meet domestic demand of petrol in Nigeria.

The private refinery has since dragged the federal government to court over what it described as a breach in agreement and policy inconsistencies.

Meanwhile, in its May report, the NMDPRA had attributed the spike in imported petrol as evidence of Nigeria’s ‘strategic transformation in the energy sector, emphasising reduced imports, strengthened domestic production, job creation, safety improvements, and economic stability,’ the fact sheet read.