…Nigeria’s US crude imports surged by roughly 167 per cent,
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Nigeria significantly ramped up its crude oil imports from the United States in 2025, bringing in 42.13 million barrels within the first 10 months of the year, according to figures from the US Energy Information Administration.
This represents a sharp year-on-year increase of about 26.34 million barrels compared with the 15.79 million barrels imported during the same period in 2024. In percentage terms, Nigeria’s US crude imports surged by roughly 167 per cent, highlighting a major shift in sourcing within a single year.
The scale of the rise shows that Nigeria more than doubled its dependence on US crude, reflecting growing demand and mounting structural challenges in the domestic oil supply chain. In contrast, imports in 2024 were relatively weak and uneven, with monthly volumes mostly below four million barrels and plunging to just 1.04 million barrels in June.
Data for 2025 reveal a steady build-up in imports as the year progressed. There were no recorded imports in January for either year. February 2025 saw imports of 3.11 million barrels, slightly below the 3.61 million barrels recorded a year earlier. However, volumes climbed sharply in March to 5.25 million barrels, exceeding March 2024 levels by nearly 1.83 million barrels.
Although April imports dipped to 2.04 million barrels, they still surpassed the 1.54 million barrels recorded in April 2024. May followed with 3.79 million barrels, up by about 1.71 million barrels year on year. The most dramatic jump came in June, when imports soared to 9.16 million barrels, almost nine times the volume recorded in June 2024, accounting for over one-fifth of total US crude imports so far in 2025.
Imports remained strong in July at 4.17 million barrels, marginally above the previous year’s level, while August recorded another major increase at 6.24 million barrels. September and October each posted steady imports of 4.19 million barrels, signalling sustained demand towards the end of the period.
Overall, the 2025 import pattern shows greater consistency and higher peaks than in 2024, when volumes were lower and more volatile. Analysts link the surge to Nigeria’s growing reliance on imported crude to meet refinery feedstock requirements, particularly for privately owned refineries.
With 42.13 million barrels imported within just 10 months, Nigeria’s 2025 US crude intake is already nearly three times the volume recorded over the same period in 2024, suggesting the full-year total could rise further if current trends persist.
The increase also points to a steady ramp-up in crude intake by the Dangote Refinery, which favours US light sweet crude for its suitability in complex refining operations. However, the growing dependence on imported crude underscores a long-standing paradox: despite being Africa’s largest oil producer and an OPEC member, Nigeria continues to export crude while importing refined products due to decades of underperforming state refineries.
Although the Dangote refinery was expected to rely mainly on domestic crude, recent data indicate it is still sourcing heavily from abroad to optimise operations. The Federal Government has disclosed that 67.66 million barrels of crude were supplied to local refiners between January and August 2025, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The commission said the deliveries, made in line with the Petroleum Industry Act and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation, went to modular and state-owned refineries, including Waltersmith, Aradel Energy and facilities operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
However, the supply fell far short of demand. Local refiners reportedly sought 123.48 million barrels for the first half of 2025 but received about 45 per cent less than required. Earlier projections by the NUPRC showed that refineries such as Port Harcourt, Warri and Dangote would need about 770,500 barrels per day—equivalent to 123.4 million barrels in six months—yet actual deliveries failed to meet this target.
Despite crude and condensate production rising to about 1.63 million barrels per day in August, much of Nigeria’s output continues to be exported. Refinery operators have repeatedly complained of difficulty accessing domestic crude, alleging that producers prefer selling to foreign buyers who pay in dollars.
Reports show that the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery relies heavily on US crude to sustain operations. In July, it imported an average of 10 million barrels, with data from Kpler indicating that US grades accounted for about 60 per cent of its 590,000 barrels-per-day intake, while Nigerian crude made up the remaining 40 per cent.
Kpler noted that July marked the first time US crude overtook Nigerian supply at the Dangote refinery, driven by ongoing challenges in domestic sourcing.
