Nigeria Burns 11.7m Fewer Litres of Petrol Daily in July

Nigeria consumed a quarter less petrol in July even as the country built enough stock to cover more than three weeks of demand, with diesel reserves rising to nearly 47 days, new figures from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority show.

The authority’s July 2026 Factsheet showed petrol consumption falling from 47.4 million litres per day in June to 35.7 million litres per day in July. That was a 25 per cent decline.

Yet petrol stock sufficiency improved from 19.7 days in June to 22.4 days in July. Diesel, also known as Automotive Gas Oil or AGO, recorded an even larger stock cover, rising from 37.1 days to 46.5 days.

The figures present a mixed fuel picture. Less petrol, diesel and jet fuel were used in July, but available stock cover improved for petrol and diesel.

Fuel use falls as stock cover rises

Total petrol receipts dropped by 10 per cent during the month, falling from 50.6 million litres per day in June to 45.5 million litres per day in July.

Local supply recorded the larger decline. Domestic petrol receipts fell 21 per cent from 32.5 million litres per day to 25.8 million litres per day.

Imports provided 19.7 million litres per day, up 9 per cent from 18.1 million litres per day in June.

The decline in petrol consumption was greater than the fall in total receipts. Daily use fell by 11.7 million litres between June and July.

Diesel presented another side of the fuel market.

Total diesel receipts rose 46 per cent from 16.2 million litres per day in June to 23.6 million litres per day in July. This happened even though domestic diesel receipts slipped by 3 per cent from 16.2 million litres per day to 15.7 million litres per day.

The difference came from imports. Nigeria recorded no diesel imports in June, but imported 7.9 million litres per day in July.

This helped lift diesel stock cover by 25 per cent to 46.5 days.

Diesel consumption, however, fell from 16.0 million litres per day to 14.7 million litres per day. That represented an 8 per cent decline.

Crude oil supplied to local refineries also reduced during the month.

Local refineries received 0.585 million barrels per day of crude in July, compared with 0.632 million barrels per day in June. The decline stood at 8 per cent.

Cooking gas was one of the few major fuels that recorded higher consumption.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or LPG, receipts rose 4 per cent from 5.1 kilotonnes per day in June to 5.3 kilotonnes per day in July.

Domestic LPG supply rose 22 per cent from 3.6 kilotonnes per day to 4.4 kilotonnes per day.

Imports, however, fell sharply by 40 per cent from 1.5 kilotonnes per day to 0.9 kilotonnes per day.

Daily cooking gas consumption rose 7 per cent from 4.1 kilotonnes to 4.4 kilotonnes.

The pattern was different in aviation fuel.

Aviation Turbine Kerosene, known as ATK or jet fuel, recorded a 24 per cent fall in receipts. Daily supply dropped from 2.5 million litres in June to 1.9 million litres in July.

Consumption fell even more sharply. Jet fuel use declined by 41 per cent from 2.9 million litres per day to 1.7 million litres per day. Domestic natural gas supply also declined during the month.

Supply fell 8 per cent from 5.116 billion cubic feet per day in June to 4.723 billion cubic feet per day in July.

The Dangote Refinery was a major source of locally produced petrol, diesel and jet fuel during the period.

Its petrol production stood at 25.9 million litres per day in July. Domestic offtake, meaning the quantity taken into the local market, was 25.8 million litres per day.

The refinery exported 3.4 million litres of petrol per day and ended the month with 446.1 million litres in closing stock.

The refinery, for diesel, produced 19.1 million litres per day.

Domestic receipts stood at 15.7 million litres per day, while exports reached 11.0 million litres per day. Closing inventory was 162.3 million litres.

Jet fuel production stood at 15.6 million litres per day. Domestic receipts were 1.9 million litres per day and exports reached 11.6 million litres per day. Closing stock stood at 217.4 million litres.

Taken together, the July figures show lower consumption across petrol, diesel and jet fuel, alongside better stock cover for the two major road fuels.

Petrol use recorded the largest fall among the major products, dropping by one-quarter in a single month. At the same time, petrol stock cover rose above 22 days.

Diesel supply received a major lift from imports after none was recorded in June, helping available stock cover reach 46.5 days.

Cooking gas stood apart from the general pattern. Domestic supply rose, imports fell, and consumption still increased to 4.4 kilotonnes per day.

The July factsheet also showed that lower crude feed to local refineries came alongside reduced domestic supply of petrol and diesel, as well as lower natural gas and jet fuel receipts.

Still, the country entered the period covered by the July figures with larger fuel cushions in stock for petrol and diesel than in June.

The biggest numerical change in consumption came in petrol, where daily use dropped from 47.4 million litres to 35.7 million litres.

For diesel, the notable stock figure was 46.5 days of cover, compared with 37.1 days a month earlier.

These figures placed July’s fuel picture in a mixed position: less of several fuels was consumed, imports rose for petrol and diesel, local refinery crude intake fell, and available inventories gave petrol and diesel longer periods of stock cover.

The authority’s July 2026 data also showed the importance of local refinery output and imports in supplying the market during the month.

Petrol imports rose even as domestic petrol receipts declined. Diesel imports returned after zero imports in June. Cooking gas imports fell as domestic supply increased.

The result was a month in which the amount of fuel used did not always mirror the amount received into supply.