Nigeria’s import of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS, or petrol) has risen to 2.3 billion litres between September 11 and December 5, 2024, despite the commencement of operations at Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries.

This is according to a document from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The ongoing fuel importation contradicts earlier promises by oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to end imports. Dangote Refinery, with a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, began PMS production and distribution on September 15, 2024, while the Port Harcourt refinery started production on November 26, 2024.

Despite these refineries’ ramp-up in domestic PMS production, NPA data shows that fuel imports have continued. In the past three days alone, 52,000 metric tonnes of petrol were imported. Given that 1 metric tonne equals approximately 1,322.76 litres, this translates to 68.74 million litres of petrol being imported during this period.

The imported fuel was transported via three vessels, which docked at Apapa Port, Tin Can Port (both in Lagos State), and Calabar Port (in Cross Rivers).

Further analysis of the import records reveals that on December 3, 2024, the vessel Binta Saleh delivered 12,000 MT (15.86 million litres) of petrol at the Apapa Port at 8:12 am. On December 4, Shamal arrived with 20,000 MT (26.44 million litres) at Tin Can Port at midnight, while on December 5, the vessel Watson is scheduled to deliver 20,000 MT (26.44 million litres) to Calabar Port by 4:52 pm.

This continued importation comes despite an agreement between the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Dangote Refinery for the direct sale of petrol. Additionally, the Nigerian government announced on October 11, 2024, that marketers could purchase petrol directly from Dangote Refinery, ending the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s role as the exclusive off-taker.