The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria increased crude oil supply to domestic refineries, led by the Dangote Refinery, by over 103 percent between January and April 2026.

An analysis of the data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday showed that crude supplied locally to domestic refineries rose from 8.83 million barrels in January to 17.96 million barrels in April, reflecting a rise of 103.4 percent.

In contrast, imported crude and feedstock supplied to the refineries dropped from 9.43 million barrels in March to just 0.41 million barrels in April, representing a decline of approximately 95.6 percent in the period under review.

The data underscored a major shift in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector as the Dangote Refinery increasingly relies on locally supplied crude oil for the production of refined petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.

Overall crude receipts by domestic refineries stood at 20.92 million barrels in March before declining to 18.37 million barrels in April. However, the structure of refinery feedstock changed significantly during the four-month period.

The NMDPRA data also showed that local supply of petrol rose substantially during the period, reflecting increased production from the Dangote refinery, currently the only refinery producing PMS in Nigeria.

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According to the report, domestic petrol supply rose from 34.2 million litres per day in March to 40.7 million litres per day in April, indicating an increase of approximately 19 per cent. At the same time, imported petrol products volumes declined from 5.9 million litres daily in January to 3.7 million litres daily in April, representing a drop of about 37.3 percent.

The figures indicated that locally refined petrol is steadily displacing imported fuel in the Nigerian market as output from the Dangote refinery expands.

The NMDPRA data disclosed that average refinery capacity utilisation by the Dangote refinery reached 99.12 per cent in April, achieving 100 per cent utilisation “for most of the days in April.”

The sharp increase in crude allocation to domestic refineries reflected improved collaboration among upstream producers, regulators and refiners following persistent concerns over inadequate crude supply for local processing.

The increase in local refining came amid elevated global crude prices triggered by geopolitical tensions involving Iran and the United States.

According to the NMDPRA report, dated Brent crude averaged $120.55 per barrel in April, while international petrol prices rose to $1,074.97 per metric tonne during the month. The increase in global oil prices translated into higher domestic petrol prices across the country despite the rise in local refining activity.

The report showed that average actual pump prices stood at N1,271.50 per litre in Lagos, N1,326 per litre in Abuja, N1,340 in Kano and N1,371.50 in Maiduguri during April. Maximum retail prices reached N1,400 per litre in Sokoto and N1,413 per litre in Maiduguri.

Despite the increase in fuel prices, petrol demand remained relatively resilient. The NMDPRA stated that average daily petrol truck-out into the domestic market stood at 51.1 million litres in April, slightly above the agency’s benchmark national consumption estimate of 50 million litres per day.

Petrol production averaged 53.6 million litres daily during the month, while domestic PMS supply stood at 40.7 million litres daily. Besides, diesel production averaged 23.6 million litres per day, while aviation fuel production stood at 22.9 million litres daily.

Nigeria’s fuel reserve position also remained stable during the period despite volatility in international oil markets. According to the report, the country maintained average stock sufficiency levels of 18 days for petrol, 39 days for diesel and 70 days for aviation fuel in April.

The report further showed that the three modular refineries currently in operation, namely WalterSmith Refinery, Edo Refinery and Aradel Holdings continued to produce diesel during the month.

Collectively, the modular refineries supplied an average of 0.559 million litres of diesel daily in April. WalterSmith operated at 56.14 percent capacity utilisation and produced 0.250 million litres of diesel daily, while Edo Refinery achieved 79.20 percent utilisation with output of 0.086 million litres daily. Aradel operated at 33.95 percent utilisation with production of 0.181 million litres daily.

In the gas sector, total average gas supply stood at 5.142 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscf/d) in April. Out of the volume, 2.012 Bscf/d was supplied to the domestic market. Also, gas supplied to the power sector averaged 0.549 Bscf/d, while commercial consumers utilised 0.671 Bscf/d and gas-based industries consumed 0.468 Bscf/d.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) supply averaged 4,545 metric tonnes daily, while consumption stood at 4,818 metric tonnes daily. Retail LPG prices ranged between N1,100 and N1,450 per kilogramme during the period.

Pastor Peace Ibiyeomie, wife of Salvation Ministries founder Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has stirred widespread reactions online after advising married women against forming close friendships with divorced women who are unwilling to reconcile with their former husbands or remarry.

The statement was made during a Mother’s Day service at Salvation Ministries in Rivers State, where the cleric spoke on relationships, marriage, and the influence of friendships on family life.

According to her, some divorced women often project bitterness about marriage while secretly maintaining romantic relationships with men.

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“Do not follow a divorcee as your friend even if she is your sister. Teach her, either she reconciles with her husband or she remarries,” she said.

The pastor’s wife further argued that some single and divorced women publicly downplay the importance of men but continue to engage in intimate relationships privately.

“She will tell you that men are not important but meanwhile she goes behind your back to have affairs with men. I have seen so many examples of single ladies,” she stated.

Ibiyeomie also revealed that some women had privately admitted to her that they still desired marriage despite publicly condemning it.

“Some of them told me the truth that it is a lie, that even as they are in church, they follow men. One opened up so much to me, that is why she wants to remarry,” she added.

Questioning what she described as contradictory behaviour, the cleric said women who claim men are unnecessary should not continue seeking relationships secretly.

“They keep saying the man is not important. If he is not important, why are you sleeping with him? So stay on your own if you say a man is not important,” she said.

She further warned divorced women against influencing other marriages negatively because of their personal experiences.

“That your marriage is broken does not mean you should break another person’s marriage,” she cautioned.

The comments have since generated heated reactions on social media, with many Nigerians divided over her remarks.

While some supported her position on protecting marriages and choosing friendships wisely, others criticised the comments as unfair and insensitive toward divorced women.

Ibiyeomie concluded by urging women to surround themselves with people who inspire positive values and growth.

“Therefore, the company you keep will either keep you up or pull you down. Leave a meaningful legacy that you will be remembered for,” she said.