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Combined exports of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel rose 37.33 percent to 54.63 million litres daily in September.
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Domestic receipts fell 22.08 percent to 39.98 million litres per day, reversing the position recorded in August.
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Aviation fuel exports accounted for 87.44 percent of the refinery’s evacuation of the product, while petrol stock sufficiency remained below the 30-day benchmark.
October 30, (THEWILL) – Dangote Petroleum Refinery exported more petrol, diesel and aviation fuel than it supplied to the Nigerian market in September 2026, as combined daily exports climbed to 54.63 million litres.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) September 2026 Fact Sheet show that exports increased by 37.33 percent from 39.78 million litres per day in August.
In contrast, combined domestic receipts declined by 22.08 percent to 39.98 million litres per day from 51.31 million litres.
The shift means exports exceeded domestic receipts by 14.65 million litres daily in September, reversing the August position when domestic receipts were ahead of exports by 11.53 million litres per day.
The development occurred despite an increase in the refinery’s production, highlighting the growing difference between the volume of fuel manufactured at the facility and the quantity evacuated into the Nigerian market.
Exports rise despite higher refinery output
Dangote Refinery increased its combined production of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel by 15.68 percent to 97.67 million litres per day in September, compared with 84.43 million litres in August.
Average capacity utilisation also edged up to 105.98 percent of its installed 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity, from 105.21 percent in the previous month.
However, the additional output did not translate into higher domestic receipts. Instead, exports accounted for approximately 57.74 percent of the refinery’s combined evacuation of the three products, compared with 43.67 percent in August.
The regulator explained that September’s utilisation rate implied crude processing of about 689,000 barrels per day, against crude receipts of 618,000 barrels per day.
The difference of approximately 71,000 barrels per day was supplied from the refinery’s existing crude inventory.
A product-level breakdown shows that the export shift was particularly pronounced in diesel and aviation fuel.
Petrol production increased by 12.59 percent to 47.22 million litres per day from 41.94 million litres in August.
Yet exports rose by 58.99 percent to 15.47 million litres daily, while domestic receipts fell by 20.55 percent to 28.50 million litres.
Diesel production increased by 35.04 percent to 24.32 million litres per day from 18.01 million litres.
Exports surged by 81.83 percent to 15.91 million litres, nearly twice domestic receipts of 8.14 million litres, which declined by 34.20 percent.
Aviation fuel production rose by 6.74 percent to 26.13 million litres daily. Exports increased by 9.15 percent to 23.25 million litres, while domestic receipts edged up to 3.34 million litres from 3.07 million litres.
Aviation fuel accounted for 87.44 percent of the refinery’s evacuation of the product, making it the largest contributor to the overall export volume.
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Domestic fuel receipts decline
The increase in Dangote’s exports coincided with a decline in national petrol and diesel receipts, which include supplies from domestic refineries and imports.
Nigeria’s average daily petrol receipts fell by 23.37 percent to 38.7 million litres in September from 50.5 million litres in August.
Imported petrol declined by 30.14 percent to 10.2 million litres per day, with NMDPRA attributing the reduction to the exhaustion of approved import permit volumes.
Dangote’s daily petrol production of 47.22 million litres exceeded the country’s average consumption of 44.4 million litres, measured by volumes trucked out into the domestic market.
However, the refinery did not supply all its output locally. Of the 47.22 million litres produced daily, 28.50 million litres went into the domestic market, 15.47 million litres were exported and 3.25 million litres were added to refinery stock.
The distinction is important because production volumes do not automatically translate into domestic availability.
Exports, inventory changes, and distribution determine how much fuel reaches the local market.
Diesel receipts also weakened, falling by 40 percent to 8.7 million litres per day, the lowest level in the 13 months covered by the fact sheet. This was below the average daily consumption of 14.5 million litres.
NMDPRA attributed the decline to low imports and weak domestic evacuation amid high prices.
Stock levels remain below regulatory benchmark
Despite Dangote’s increased production, Nigeria’s fuel stock position remained a concern.
Petrol stock sufficiency stood at 23.9 days in September, below the regulator’s 30-day benchmark. Diesel stock sufficiency also declined to 49.7 days from 51.6 days in August.
The September figures therefore expose a gap between domestic refining output and actual supply to the local market.
While Dangote produced more petrol than Nigeria consumed during the month, only 28.50 million litres per day of its output was received domestically, with a substantial volume exported.
The figures do not, on their own, establish why the refinery allocated more products to exports
Ogochukwu Onwaeze is a writer specializing in business and economic journalism. At THEWILL News Media, she translates market trends, financial developments, and policy shifts into clear and engaging stories.
