Dangote Refinery and other local refineries met only 50% of Nigeria’s fuel needs in February 2025, with the shortfall covered by imports

The **Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA)** has revealed that **Dangote Refinery and other local refineries supplied only 50% of the country’s fuel consumption in February 2025**, with the remaining shortfall imported by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, **Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure**, clarified that there is no law preventing **Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)** from importing fuel when necessary.

According to Ukoha, **local refineries met less than 60% of demand in January and only 50% in February 2025**. He also stated that none of the OMCs with refineries had imported petroleum products this year.

“So, just for clarity, what I am saying is that the contribution of local refining towards the sufficiency was less than 60 percent in January and less than 50 percent in February 2025,” he said.

Ukoha assured that **all petroleum products imported into Nigeria in 2025 met the required quality standards**, as enforced by the **Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)** and the **Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021**.

“You must meet those specifications; otherwise, we will not let those products be distributed,” he emphasised.

This statement comes amid reports claiming that **NNPCL imported over 200 million litres of petrol in February 2025**.

However, NNPC’s spokesperson, **Femi Soneye**, refuted the claim, stating that the company had **not imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) this year**.

Soneye further explained that while NNPC has not needed to import fuel so far, it has the legal right to do so if supply shortages arise.

“As a company primarily responsible for ensuring energy security in Nigeria, if there were any PMS supply insufficiency in the future, NNPC Limited has the right and responsibility to intervene by importing to bridge the gap,” he clarified.