Nigeria's fuel traders struggling to secure gasoline despite billions spent on refinery upgrades
Nigerian fuel traders say they are having trouble getting gasoline from the state-owned Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, although these plants were declared ready six months ago.
Nigeria's state-owned Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, despite declared ready six months ago, are not yet supplying gasoline.
This has led to continued dependence on fuel imports and the Dangote Refinery, which is still scaling production.
Over ₦11.35 trillion has been spent over the last decade attempting to fix the nation's old refineries.
Nigerian fuel traders say they are having trouble getting gasoline from the state-owned Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, although these plants were declared ready six months ago.
As a result, they remain dependent on imports and the privately owned $20 billion Dangote Refinery to meet supply needs, according to a report from Reuters.
Nigeria has struggled with fuel shortages for a long time. Over the past 10 years, the country has spent more than ₦11.35 trillion ($25 billion) trying to fix its three old, non-working refineries.
Since 2021, Nigeria has spent about $2.4 billion to renovate two refineries in the Niger Delta to reduce the need for imported fuel. However, delays in getting these refineries fully working are still causing problems for the local fuel supply.
Although Nigeria declared the first phase of refurbishment at the Port Harcourt refinery complete in December 2024, fuel traders say they are still unable to access gasoline from the plant or the Warri refinery, both operated by the state-owned NNPC.
Soaring import
According to the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), which represents over 6,700 fuel stations, its members remain reliant on fuel imports and on supplies from the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, Africa's largest, which itself has yet to reach full production capacity.
Official data shows that by March 2025, there was no gasoline output from the Port Harcourt refinery, which used to be Nigeria's largest.
In contrast, the Dangote Refinery produced 20.6 million litres of petrol that month, while imports contributed 25.19 million litres, meeting 92% of Nigeria's daily gasoline demand of 50 million litres.
Nigeria's overreliance on imports remains a major concern. In 2024, the country spent ₦15.4 trillion ($9.63 billion) on petrol imports, more than double the ₦7.51 trillion spent in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Authorities hope that getting local refineries running will significantly reduce this cost.
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