The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has clarified that there is no law restricting the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) from importing fuel when necessary.
The NMDPRA assured that all imported petroleum products this year meet standard quality requirements.
It said the NNPCL has not imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol this year, relying on local refineries to meet 50% of the national consumption requirement in February.
The Executive Director, Distribution System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, who told a media briefing in Abuja, noted that local refineries met 50 per cent national consumption requirement while the shortfall is imported by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
He explained that the contribution of local refineries has been less than a 60 per cent shortfall in January and February 2025.
He, however, specifically noted that none of the OMCs that owned refineries have imported petroleum products this year.
“So, just for clarity, what I am saying is that the contribution of local refining towards the sufficiency was less than 60 per cent in January and less than 50 percent in February 2025,” Ukoha told journalists.
“The shortfall is sourced by way of importation. Even though none of the OMCs that owned refineries have imported this year PMS.”
On quality, he said the NMDPRA always insisted that all petroleum products meet the specifications of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to him, the Authority does not permit the distribution of products that fall short of quality standards.
“You must meet those specifications, otherwise we will not let those products be distributed.”
Ukoha announced that the NMDPRA has banned trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of hydrocarbon products from loading effective from March 1, 2025.
Similarly, a statement by the NNPC spokesman, Femi Soneye, on Tuesday, while reacting to a report on alleged importation of 200million litres, noted that while NNPC Limited has not imported PMS in 2025, ” it is important to clarify that there is no law prohibiting NNPC Limited from importing when necessary”.
He said: “As a company primarily responsible for ensuring energy security in Nigeria, if there were any PMS supply insufficiency in the future, NNPC Limited has the right and responsibility to intervene by importing to bridge the gap.”
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