Nigeria has suspended the issuance of gasoline import licences for the second consecutive month, marking one of the most decisive shifts in the country’s downstream petroleum policy in recent memory and handing a significant victory to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority shows no import licences were issued in February 2026. The Crude Oil Refineries Association of Nigeria has since confirmed that the freeze has extended into March, signalling a deliberate and sustained push to prioritise domestic refining over imports.
The decision enforces a provision of the Petroleum Industry Act that restricts import permits only to situations where local supply is insufficient to meet national demand. The move ends a contentious policy maintained by the previous regulator, who had argued that open import licensing was necessary to sustain competition and prevent market dominance.
In February, the Dangote Refinery supplied 36.5 million litres of petrol and 8 million litres of diesel to the local market — volumes the regulator deemed sufficient to withhold new import approvals. Nigeria’s average daily petrol consumption also fell to 56.9 million litres per day in February, down from 60.2 million litres in January.
Eche Idoko, spokesperson for the Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria, welcomed the development. “For us, anything that protects local production is a good move. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum,” Idoko said.
The Dangote Refinery had previously sued both the regulator and the state oil company in a bid to halt what it described as undermining imports, making this regulatory reversal a landmark moment for Nigeria’s domestic refining ambitions.
Source: orientalnewsng.com