The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has suspended the issuance of new import licences.
According to the February 2026 ‘State of the Midstream and Downstream Fact Sheet’, the suspension took effect in February.
According to the data, no import licences were issued in February while Dangote refinery supplied an average of 36.5 million litres of petrol daily to the domestic market.
However, imports averaging 3 million litres per day, the lowest level in a year, were still supplied to the market.
Further details showed that the total petrol supply in February (39.6 million litres per day) represents a shortfall of 25.4 million litres compared to the average daily supply of 64.9 million litres in January.
“PMS Supply in February 2026 reduced by 25.4 ML/D due to significant drop in imports,” NMDPRA said.
NMDPRA spokesperson, George Ene-Ita, said local production is currently sufficient to meet domestic supply needs, hence the suspension.
In January 2025, the NMDPRA, under its former leadership, defended the issuance of import licences, saying the Dangote refinery was unable to meet demands.