Nigeria’s petrol import bill fell to N87.40 billion in Q1 2026, from N2.27 trillion in Q1 2025, representing a 96.15% year-on-year decline, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, imports of motor spirit dropped by 97.53% from N3.54 trillion in Q4 2025.
This means Nigeria spent N2.18 trillion less on petrol imports compared with Q1 2025 and N3.45 trillion less compared with the preceding quarter.
The decline was largely driven by increased reliance on locally refined petroleum products, particularly from the Dangote Refinery, which has reshaped Nigeria’s energy trade balance.
The decline is significant because motor spirit had remained one of Nigeria’s biggest import items. In Q4 2025, the NBS listed motor spirit ordinary as the country’s top imported product, with a value of N3.54 trillion, accounting for 20.52% of total imports.
What the data shows
Nairametrics observed that petrol accounted for only 0.64% of Nigeria’s total imports in Q1 2026, compared with 13.64% in Q1 2025 and 20.52% in Q4 2025.
Total imports fell to N13.62 trillion in Q1 2026 from N16.64 trillion in Q1 2025, a decline of 18.17%. Compared with N17.25 trillion in Q4 2025, total imports fell by 21.05%.
However, the fall in petrol imports was much steeper than the decline in the overall import bill, showing that the PMS component drove a major structural shift in Nigeria’s import basket.
Nairametrics further observed that the collapse in petrol imports was so pronounced that PMS dropped out of Nigeria’s top 10 most imported products in Q1 2026.
Within processed fuels and lubricants, petrol’s share fell to 14.43% in Q1 2026 from 46.25% in Q1 2025 and 91.36% in Q4 2025.
Its share of total fuels and lubricants also dropped to 3.48% in Q1 2026, compared with 37.24% in Q1 2025 and 80.92% in Q4 2025.
Fuel imports shift away from PMS
Total fuels and lubricants imports stood at N2.51 trillion in Q1 2026, down 58.80% from N6.10 trillion in Q1 2025 and 42.56% from N4.37 trillion in Q4 2025.
Processed fuels and lubricants recorded the sharpest contraction, falling to N605.53 billion in Q1 2026 from N4.91 trillion in Q1 2025. This represents an 87.67% year-on-year decline. Compared with N3.88 trillion in Q4 2025, processed fuel imports dropped by 84.37%.
In contrast, primary fuels and lubricants rose to N1.91 trillion in Q1 2026, up 60.48% from N1.19 trillion in Q1 2025 and 281.67% from N499.80 billion in Q4 2025.
Other processed fuel imports stood at N518.13 billion in Q1 2026, down 80.37% from N2.64 trillion in Q1 2025, but up 54.73% from N334.85 billion in Q4 2025. Nairametrics.
