Amid rising energy costs, Nigerians spent about N1.3 trillion on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, in June 2025, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The regulator’s PMS truck-out report revealed that a total of 1.44 billion litres of petrol were distributed across the country during the month. At an average pump price of N900 per litre, the nationwide bill for the commodity amounted to over N1.3tn.
States with Highest Consumption
Lagos led the chart with 205.7 million litres, valued at N185.1bn. It was followed by:
- Ogun: 88.7m litres (N79.8bn)
- FCT Abuja: 77.5m litres (N69.8bn)
- Oyo: 72.8m litres (N65.5bn)
At the lower end, Jigawa consumed just 9.4m litres (N8.5bn), while Ebonyi, Yobe, and Bayelsa also recorded low allocations of 10.5m, 11.7m and 11.9m litres respectively.
Regional Breakdown
Consumption varied widely across the six geopolitical zones:
- South-West: 452.9m litres (N407.7bn) – Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo were the biggest drivers.
- North-Central: 247.4m litres (N222.4bn) – led by the FCT (77.5m litres).
- North-West: 230m litres (N207bn) – Kano dominated with N61.4bn worth of fuel.
- South-South: 224.9m litres (N202.9bn) – Delta topped with N61.6bn.
- North-East: 152.8m litres (N137.5bn) – Adamawa led with N51.2bn.
- South-East: 132.7m litres (N119.6bn) – Anambra consumed the most at N36.5bn.
The figures underline Nigeria’s uneven petrol consumption, heavily concentrated in urban and industrial hubs like Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Oyo, and Kano, where population density and economic activity are highest.
Dangote Refinery’s Impact
In June, Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, noted that Nigerians currently pay only 55% of what neighbouring West African countries pay for petrol.
His refinery, the country’s only functional producer, sells PMS between N815 and N820 per litre, compared to about N1,600 per litre (roughly $1) in neighbouring countries.
Dangote stressed that local refining has significantly reduced costs, especially after petrol subsidies were scrapped by President Bola Tinubu in May 2023, when pump prices spiked from N200 to as high as N1,200 per litre.
Since commencing operations last year, the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery has introduced repeated price cuts, helping push petrol prices below N900/litre.
Consumer Concerns
Despite the reductions, many Nigerians still consider current prices unaffordable. Fuel marketers have complained of losses, while consumers argue that petrol should return to N200–N500 per litre to ease inflationary pressure.
“The prices should drop to between N200 and N500, and you’ll see the impact on virtually all sectors of the economy. Selling petrol above N850 per litre is still high and causing inflation to spike,” said Lagos resident, Favour Samson.
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