Petrol consumption rises 10.8% to 52.4 million litres despite higher pump prices

•Nigeria’s oil output rises to 1.663m

By Udeme Akpan, Energy Editor & Obas Esiedesa

Even though the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, increased, daily consumption in Nigeria rose by 10.78 % in April 2026, reaching 52.4 million litres. The previous month recorded 47.3 million litres, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Average pump prices for petrol in April were N1,370 per litre, a rise of roughly 13.8 % from the N1,180 per litre average in March.

The regulator’s April 2026 report, released yesterday, shows that total petrol supply—from the Dangote Refinery and imports—climbed 10.7 % to 44.4 million litres per day in April, up from 40.1 million litres per day in March.

Supply from the Dangote Refinery increased by 19 % to 40.7 million litres per day in April, compared with 34.2 million litres per day in March. In contrast, petrol imports fell sharply by 37.3 % to 3.7 million litres per day, down from 5.9 million litres per day in March.

Imported crude oil volumes dropped by 95.65 % to 0.41 million barrels in April, from 9.43 million barrels in March.

Conversely, crude oil supplied by Nigerian upstream companies to domestic refineries rose 56 % to 17.99 million barrels in April, against 11.48 million barrels in March.

The NMDPRA reported that the 650,000‑barrel‑per‑day Dangote Refinery operated at 99.12 % capacity utilisation in April, while the government‑owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna remained non‑operational.

Nigeria’s crude oil output increased modestly to 1.663 million barrels per day (bpd) in April 2026, up from 1.546 million bpd in March, including condensates, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Despite the rise, the country still fell short of the 1.5 million bpd crude oil production quota set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In the National Liquid Hydrocarbon Production Report released yesterday, the NUPRC noted that average daily crude oil production hovered around 1.4 million bpd, while total production—including condensates—stood at roughly 1.6 million bpd in April.

The figures arrive as the federal government and industry players continue efforts to lift production to 2 million bpd. The goal is to increase revenue, strengthen foreign‑exchange earnings, and support implementation of the 2026 budget.

The report also highlighted that Nigeria has not consistently met its OPEC quota for crude oil production, and that total output remains below the 1.84 million bpd benchmark established in the 2026 budget.

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