The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has issued permits to six petroleum depot owners and marketers to import Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol. The move is widely seen within the industry as part of efforts by the Federal Government to maintain stability and competition in the downstream petroleum sector.

Sources within the oil and gas industry disclosed that the regulator recently approved the permits, allowing each of the six companies to bring in about 30,000 metric tonnes of petrol.The decision comes amid ongoing conversations about the concentration of fuel supply in the country. Data released recently indicated that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery accounted for about 92 percent of Nigeria’s petrol supply in February.

Industry figures show that domestic refining delivered an average of roughly 36.5 million litres of petrol daily during the period, while imported fuel contributed about 3 million litres per day. This brought the country’s total daily supply to around 39.5 million litres.

Currently, the Dangote refinery remains the only facility in Nigeria producing petrol, as most modular refineries in the country mainly focus on diesel production.

However, a senior industry source familiar with regulatory developments revealed that, until recently, the NMDPRA had not issued any petrol import licences under its current leadership. The latest approvals are therefore being interpreted as a possible policy adjustment aimed at maintaining supply diversity and ensuring the fuel market remains flexible as local refining capacity evolves.