Nigeria has sharply increased its crude oil imports from the United States, buying over 42 million barrels within the first 10 months of 2025, new data have shown.
Figures from the United States Energy Information Administration revealed that Nigeria imported 42.13 million barrels of crude oil from the US between January and October 2025.
This represents a massive rise when compared with the 15.79 million barrels imported within the same period in 2024, showing an increase of about 26.34 million barrels year on year.
In percentage terms, the imports rose by roughly 167 per cent, meaning Nigeria more than doubled its purchases of US crude oil in just one year.
The data show that crude imports from the US were weak and inconsistent in 2024. Monthly volumes stayed mostly below four million barrels and dropped sharply in June 2024 to just 1.04 million barrels.
The trend changed significantly in 2025, with imports becoming stronger and more stable across several months.
There was no record of US crude imports in January for both years. In February 2025, Nigeria imported 3.11 million barrels, slightly lower than the 3.61 million barrels recorded in February 2024.
However, imports rose sharply in March 2025 to 5.25 million barrels, exceeding the March 2024 figure by nearly 1.83 million barrels.
April 2025 saw imports of 2.04 million barrels, higher than the 1.54 million barrels recorded in April 2024. In May, Nigeria imported 3.79 million barrels, about 1.71 million barrels more than the same month a year earlier.
The biggest jump came in June 2025 when imports surged to 9.16 million barrels. This was almost nine times higher than the 1.04 million barrels imported in June 2024 and accounted for more than one fifth of Nigeria’s total US crude purchases in 2025 so far.
Imports remained high in July at 4.17 million barrels, slightly above July 2024 figures. August recorded another strong month with 6.24 million barrels, while September and October each stood at 4.19 million barrels.
Analysts say the sharp rise is linked to Nigeria’s growing dependence on imported crude oil to meet refinery needs, especially for privately owned refineries.
At 42.13 million barrels within 10 months, Nigeria’s US crude imports in 2025 are already almost three times higher than the volume recorded in the same period of 2024, raising expectations that the full-year figure could climb further.
Industry watchers also point to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a major factor behind the surge. The refinery is said to favour US light sweet crude because it works well with complex refining processes.
However, the trend highlights a long-standing challenge for Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, which continues to import crude and refined products despite exporting large volumes of crude oil.
The Federal Government earlier disclosed that local refiners received a total of 67,657,559 barrels of crude oil between January and August 2025.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission confirmed the figure and said the supplies were made in line with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation policy.
The commission’s Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, said, “A total of 67,657,559 barrels were delivered to local refiners between January and August this year. All refiners got that amount within the eight-month period.”
Despite this, the supply fell far short of demand. Local refiners had requested 123,480,500 barrels for the first half of 2025, meaning they received about 45 per cent less than required.
Earlier projections by the commission showed that refineries including Port Harcourt, Warri and Dangote would need about 770,500 barrels per day, translating to roughly 123.4 million barrels for the first half of 2025.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s crude and condensate production rose to about 1.63 million barrels per day in August, with much of it still exported.
Refinery owners have repeatedly complained about difficulties in accessing crude locally, alleging that producers prefer selling to foreign buyers who pay in dollars.
Reports also showed that the $20bn Dangote Refinery imported an average of 10 million barrels of crude in July, relying heavily on US supplies despite the naira-for-crude arrangement with the Federal Government.
Data from commodities analytics firm Kpler showed that US crude accounted for about 60 per cent of Dangote’s 590,000 barrels per day intake in July, while Nigerian grades made up 40 per cent.
Kpler said, “While WTI has held a significant share in Dangote’s import slate since March, this is the first time US crude has overtaken Nigerian supply—a shift driven by several factors.”
The development underlines ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s domestic crude supply system, even as refinery capacity continues to expand.
