By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, dropped from 56.9 million litres per day in February to 47.3 million litres per day in March 2026.
This is according to the data contained in the March 2026 Fact Sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The month-on-month decline in domestic consumption of fuel suggests weaker demand due to the high pricing of petroleum products during the period.
This follows several increases in fuel price by the Dangote Refinery, with the price of the product soaring to N1,275 per litre in March.
The data also showed that fuel importation by oil marketers increased by 96.7 percent in March 2026 compared to February.
According to the data, petrol import volumes rose from 3.0 million litres per day in February to 5.9 million litres per day in March 2026, indicating renewed dependence on foreign supply amid shifting domestic dynamics.
The report read, “Petrol import volumes rose significantly in March from 3.0 million litres per day in February to 5.9 million litres per day in March.”
The NMDPRA report also indicated that domestic petrol supply increased from 30.5 million litres per day to 34.2 million litres per day.
The increase in local supply reflects growing contributions from local refiners, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The report stated that total daily petrol supply increased from 39.5 million litres to 40.1 million litres during the period under review.
An analysis of the figures shows that while imports significantly increased within the month, domestic supply still accounted for the bulk of the market.
The NMDPRA report also noted that petrol stock sufficiency dropped from 30.7 days to 21.2 days, indicating tighter inventory levels despite increased imports.
A further breakdown of the fact sheet showed that the supply of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), popularly known as diesel, fell from 24.4 million litres per day in February to 10.3 million litres per day in March.
Domestic AGO output dropped from 8.8 million litres per day to 3.9 million litres per day, while imports declined from 15.6 million litres per day to 6.4 million litres per day.
According to the data, the supply of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) remained stable at 4.7 kilotonnes per day.
It stated that domestic LPG production increased from 4.0 thousand tonnes per day to 4.5 thousand tonnes per day, while imports fell from 0.7 thousand tonnes per day to 0.2 thousand tonnes per day.
On the domestic LPG consumption side, the report indicates that the figure fell slightly from 5.2 thousand tonnes per day to 5.1 thousand tonnes per day.
Domestic gas supply also rose slightly from 4.771 billion standard cubic feet per day to 4.888 bscf/d, reflecting steady growth in the gas segment.
