By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
Crude oil imports by domestic refineries rose by 1515 per cent to 5.13 million barrels in July 2026, from 2.04 million barrels in June, according to data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The increase came as domestic crude supply to refineries fell sharply during the month
The NMDPRA’s July 2026 Midstream and Downstream Statistics showed that refineries received a total of 1788 million barrels of crude in July, comprising 12.75 million barrels supplied domestically and 5.13 million barrels imported.
Imported crude therefore accounted for 287 per cent of total crude receipts by domestic refineries in July, while domestic supplies contributed the remaining 71.3 per cent.
The 513 million barrels imported in July represented a significant rebound from the 2.04 million barrels recorded in June. It was also higher than the 2.08 million barrels imported in May and 0.41 million barrels in April.
However, July’s import volume remained below the 943 million barrels recorded in March, the highest monthly volume so far in 2026.
The data showed that crude imports stood at 071 million barrels in January before rising to 4.25 million barrels in February and peaking at 9.43 million barrels in March.
Imports subsequently plunged to 041 million barrels in April, before recovering to 2.08 million barrels in May, 2.04 million barrels in June and 5.13 million barrels in July.
The report also disclosed that domestic crude supply to refineries declined by 254 per cent month-on-month, falling from 17.08 million barrels in June to 12.75 million barrels in July.
In January, domestic refineries received 883 million barrels of domestic crude and 0.71 million barrels of imported crude, bringing total receipts to 9.54 million barrels.
The figure rose to 1313 million barrels in February, comprising 8.88 million barrels of domestic crude and 4.25 million barrels of imports.
March recorded the highest total crude receipts at 2092 million barrels, with domestic supply contributing 11.49 million barrels and imports 9.43 million barrels.
Total receipts stood at 1837 million barrels in April, made up of 17.96 million barrels of domestic crude and 0.41 million barrels of imports.
In May, refineries received 1792 million barrels, comprising 15.84 million barrels of domestic crude and 2.08 million barrels of imports, while June recorded 19.12 million barrels, made up of 17.08 million barrels of domestic crude and 2.04 million barrels of imports.
Dangote refinery performance
The NMDPRA data also showed that the Dangote Refinery operated at an average capacity utilisation of 7109 per cent in July.
The refinery produced an average of 259 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 19.1 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 15.6 million litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) per day.
Its average domestic receipts stood at 258 million litres per day for PMS, 15.7 million litres for AGO and 1.9 million litres for ATK.
The refinery also exported 34 million litres of PMS, 11 million litres of AGO and 11.6 million litres of ATK per day as of July 31.
Its closing stock at the end of July stood at 4461 million litres of PMS, 162.3 million litres of AGO and 217.4 million litres of ATK.