WorldStage— The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has disclosed that Nigeria’s daily diesel receipts plunged by 40 per cent in September 2026, dropping to 8.7 million litres per day from 14.5 million litres in August.
According to the latest monthly factsheet released by the Authority, the sharp contraction marks the lowest supply level recorded in 13 months.
The regulatory data highlights a deepening squeeze in the domestic energy market, driven by a concurrent slump in both imports and local evacuations.
According to it, domestic diesel receipts fell from 13.2 million litres daily in August to 8.1 million litres in September, while diesel imports sank by 54 per cent to just 600,000 litres.
The NMDPRA linked the decline to diminished domestic evacuation and low import volumes, which occurred despite a 35 per cent increase in diesel production at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to 24.32 million litres per day.
Much of this refined volume, the regulatory body says, was diverted to the international market, with diesel exports surging 82 per cent to 15.91 million litres daily.
Despite the supply crunch, diesel consumption edged up slightly to 14.5 million litres per day, supported by a healthy national stock cover of 49.7 days.
However, the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) segment faced severe inventory pressures, as NMDPRA report revealed that Nigeria’s petrol stock cover remained below the critical 30-day sufficiency threshold, standing at just 22.9 days of safety buffer.
Total daily petrol receipts cratered by 23.4 per cent, crashing from 50.5 million litres in August to 38.7 million litres in September.
This drop, according to NMDPR, was triggered by a 30 per cent decline in imports, falling to 10.2 million litres, as well as a 21 per cent reduction in local receipts.
Giving more details, NMDPR stated in the factsheet: “This supply contraction coincided with a 7 per cent surge in national petrol consumption, which climbed to 44.4 million litres per day in September.
“The resulting deficit of 5.7 million litres per day between total receipts and actual demand has rapidly depleted national stock reserves.
“The supply deficit is further compounded by a 6.3 per cent drop in domestic crude supply to local refineries.
“While the Dangote Refinery operated at an impressive 105.98 per cent capacity utilisation, contributing 65 per cent of the country’s petrol requirement, the exhaustion of approved import permit volumes and the inactivity of state-owned refineries have left the country highly vulnerable.”
Market analysts warn that unless supply chains are urgently stabilized, the combination of low stock covers and skyrocketing pump prices, which have crossed ₦1,400 per litre, will continue to stress transport logistics and businesses nationwide.
