NNPCL imports over 200 million Litres of Petrol in February despite refinery overhaul

A confidential report exclusively obtained by Nairametrics from a reliable source tracking the movements of motor tanker vessels, which monitors cargo tanks entering the country, revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has imported 159,000 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) between February 1, 2025, and February 12, 2025.

Based on a standard conversion of 1,341 litre per metric ton, this translates to approximately  213 million litres of petrol, imported by the state-owned oil company according to the Motor Tanker Vessels report.

The revelation comes at a time Dangote Refinery is locked in a legal dispute with NNPCL and major oil marketers over the importation of refined petroleum products, which are already being produced locally without any shortfall.

The report’s breakdown shows that on Monday, February 10, NNPCL received two cargoes carrying 37,000 metric tons of PMS each. That is a total of 99.2 million litres.

On Saturday, February 8, it received a cargo of 20,000 metric tons of PMS, which equals 26.82 million litres.

On Wednesday, February 12, it received another cargo of 37,000 metric tons of PMS, which is approximately 50 million litres.

While the aforementioned cargoes were received in the Lagos ports, NNPCL received a cargo of 20,000 metric tons of PMS at the Calabar port on February 5. 20,000 MTS equals 26.82 million litres.

NNPCL has imported over 40 million metric tons of diesel in February The data also shows that NNPCL has imported 40,000 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) so far in February. This is over 40 million litres of diesel.

The national oil firm received two shipments+ of AGO on February 3. One supplied 15,000 MT, while the second supplied 25,000 MT.

Other oil and gas retail and logistics companies also received shipments of both PMS and AGO. They include Rainoil, WOSBAB, MENJ, and FRADO, among others.

Nigeria spends N407 billion on petrol imports in 12 daysAccording to information from a source, despite the January 2025 deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles to reduce air pollution across the region, Nigeria has continued to import petroleum products that exceed the permissible sulphur limit under this regulation.

Energy experts and policy analysts have expressed concern that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other marketers spent over N407.4 billion to import 302.7 million litres of petrol (PMS) and 104.8 million litres of diesel during the first 12 days of February.This follows an ongoing trend of imports, with the country spending more than N5.5 trillion to import a total of 3,203,698.41 metric tonnes of petrol and 980,485 metric tonnes of diesel between October 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025.In 2020, ECOWAS leaders convened in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to establish a January 2025 deadline for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles in the region to tackle air pollution. Domestic refineries and importers were expected to comply with a sulphur fuel standard of 50 parts per million (ppm) for petrol and diesel for all imported fuels from 1 January 2025. This was seen as a significant step for the region, as some countries still permit the importation of diesel with sulphur levels of up to 10,000 ppm.An industry expert pointed out that the NNPCL and other importers continue to bring in petroleum products that exceed the permissible limit under the regulation. He added that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has deliberately remained silent on the issue, despite Nigeria’s leadership within ECOWAS, and continues to allow the importation of substandard products.

“It is an embarrassment to the leadership of ECOWAS that Nigeria has failed to lead by example. Why are we still importing adulterated products, polluting the air, and exposing over 200 million Nigerians to danger when we now have local refineries capable of producing high-quality products?” he queried.

Why should NNPCL be importing?According to a report from the source, a senior government official stated that the continued importation of refined petroleum products below ECOWAS’s stipulation, despite the restart of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, raises questions about the sincerity of NNPCL.

He questioned the company’s expenditure of over N126.5 billion to import more than 136.7 million litres of petrol in a single day, despite Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption being only 30 million litres.He said, “NNPC claims to have reactivated two of its refineries. However, it continues to import petroleum products into Nigeria. On 10 February, NNPC imported over 100,000 metric tonnes of petrol. Given that Nigeria’s monthly consumption has now decreased to around 800,000 tonnes, it is perplexing why NNPC continues to import such large volumes. More importantly, it is strange that a company with two ‘functional’ refineries would continue to do so.”

The official, who called for an investigation, added that President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, need to pay closer attention to the activities of NNPCL, which he suggested contradict the economic policies of the Tinubu-led administration.“NNPC is owned by Nigerians, and the company must be accountable to them for the optimal use of the resources under its care. They must particularly explain what has been achieved with the substantial funds spent on the refineries,” the official concluded.

What you should knowIn December 2024, the NNPCL announced the restart of the 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which was approved for rehabilitation in 2021 for $897 million. This announcement followed reports that the Port Harcourt refinery’s 60,000 bpd phase one had begun refining key fuels. Nigeria operates four national refineries: one in Kaduna, one in Warri, and two in Port Harcourt.

The refurbishment of these refineries, in addition to the operations of the Dangote refinery, was expected to reduce Nigeria’s importation of petroleum products and make the country fuel-independent.

However, the importation of refined products continues on a large scale despite the growing number of local refineries.