NMDPRA Licenses Six Firms to Import 830,000MT Petrol to Prevent Year End Shortages

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has approved six petrol import permits covering about 830,000 metric tonnes ahead of the fourth quarter of 2026 to tackle any unforeseen shortages.

“Yes, petrol import permits were approved for Q4 2026 to ensure there’re no supply gaps heading into the critical end-of-year period,” Mr Ene-Ita said, as per Premium Times.

The beneficiaries of the permits include Matrix Energy, A.A. Rano, AYM Shafa, NIPCO, Pinnacle Oil and Bono Energy.

The approvals were reportedly issued on September 18, although details of the individual allocations to the marketers were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.

The latest approvals come amid an ongoing legal dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the regulator over the continued issuance of petrol import licences.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery in May filed a lawsuit against the Attorney-General of the Federation, challenging fuel import licences issued to oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

In the suit, the refinery argued that the licences granted to some marketers threatened its operations and were contrary to provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

The refinery contended that fuel import licences should only be issued when domestic supply is insufficient to meet national demand.

Since commencing operations in 2024, Dangote Refinery has repeatedly urged local marketers to source petroleum products from domestic refineries rather than depend on imports. This has faced resistance from regulators and operators across the midstream and downstream value chain.

Supply worries have also heightened amid tensions in the Middle East, which continue to disrupt global energy markets, keeping crude oil prices elevated and raising concerns about the cost of petroleum supplies.