Nigeria’s consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) rose sharply to 63.7 million litres per day in December 2025, up from 52.9 million litres per day in November, according to the latest fact sheet released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The data showed a month-on-month increase of 10.8 million litres per day, representing a 20.4 per cent rise in petrol consumption.

Out of the 74.2 million litres per day total domestic petrol supply recorded in December, 63.7 million litres were consumed, compared with 71.5 million litres per day supplied in November.

Further analysis of the NMDPRA figures indicated that petrol supply from the Dangote Refinery to the domestic market increased to 32.01 million litres per day in December, up from 19.47 million litres per day in the previous month.

This represents a 64.4 per cent month-on-month growth in domestic supply from the refinery. However, the facility fell short of its planned 50 million litres per day domestic supply target during the period under review.

It will be recalled that on December 11, 2025, the Dangote Refinery reduced its ex-depot petrol price to ₦699 per litre, a move that led to a retail pump price of ₦739 per litre at MRS filling stations nationwide.

While the Managing Director of Dangote Refinery, David Bird, recently maintained that the ₦739 per litre price remains competitive, Professor Wumi Iledare, a petroleum economics expert, has criticised the pricing, describing it as a distortion of the market.