Although two major refineries in Nigeria began producing petrol in the past three months, oil marketers have continued to rely on imports to supply the product nationwide.
Information obtained on Wednesday revealed that marketers imported 2.3 billion litres of petrol between September 11 and December 5, 2024.
This persistent importation contradicts earlier announcements by some marketers who had expressed plans to stop importing and shift focus to locally refined products.
The domestic refineries include the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos and the 210,000bpd Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State, with PHRC currently operating its older plant with a capacity of 60,000bpd.
The Dangote refinery began selling petrol in September, while PHRC’s Area 5 facility started production in November.
Newly obtained documents from the Nigerian Ports Authority on Wednesday revealed that fuel importation by marketers has persisted. The imported products were transported via three vessels, which docked at the Apapa Port and Tin Can Port in Lagos State, as well as the Calabar Port in Cross River State.
This situation suggests that the recent discussions led by NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, alongside the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, aimed at halting petrol imports into the country, may not have achieved the desired outcome.
