Nigeria’s crude oil imports from the United States surged sharply in 2025, with the country bringing in 42.13 million barrels in the first ten months, data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows. The figure represents a dramatic rise compared with the same period in 2024, when Nigeria imported just 15.79 million barrels—a year-on-year increase of about 26.34 million barrels, or 167%.
The jump in imports highlights a major shift in Nigeria’s oil sourcing strategy, driven by rising demand for refinery feedstock and persistent domestic supply challenges. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer and an OPEC member, Nigeria continues to rely on imported crude to sustain refining operations, underscoring the country’s ongoing structural paradox.
Import Trend Shows Strong Momentum in 2025
While 2024’s crude purchases from the US were modest and inconsistent, 2025 has displayed stronger and more sustained demand. In 2024, monthly imports rarely exceeded four million barrels and fell sharply to 1.04 million barrels in June. The pattern was markedly different this year, with multiple months recording substantial inflows.
A month-by-month breakdown of 2025 imports reveals the acceleration:
- February: 3.11 million barrels (slightly lower than 3.61 million in Feb 2024)
- March: 5.25 million barrels (up by 1.83 million vs. March 2024)
- April: 2.04 million barrels (higher than 1.54 million in April 2024)
- May: 3.79 million barrels (up by 1.71 million vs. May 2024)
- June: 9.16 million barrels — nearly nine times the June 2024 volume and accounting for more than one-fifth of the total imports in the year to date
- July: 4.17 million barrels
- August: 6.24 million barrels
- September: 4.19 million barrels
- October: 4.19 million barrels
The June spike, in particular, marked a turning point, signalling a sharp ramp-up in demand and reflecting the increasing reliance on imported light sweet crude, particularly for complex refining processes.
Dangote Refinery Driving Demand, but Reliance on Imports Remains
Analysts attribute the surge largely to Nigeria’s growing dependence on imported crude to meet the feedstock needs of both state and privately owned refineries. At 42.13 million barrels within ten months, Nigeria’s US crude imports for 2025 are already nearly three times the volume imported during the same period in 2024—suggesting the full-year total could climb further if the current trend continues.
The rise in imports also points to the Dangote Refinery’s increasing crude intake. Data from commodities analytics firm Kpler indicates that US light sweet crude has become a preferred feedstock due to its compatibility with the refinery’s complex processing units. In July, Dangote’s crude intake reportedly hit a record 590,000 barrels per day, with US crude accounting for about 60% of the total intake and Nigerian grades making up the remaining 40%.
Despite expectations that the Dangote refinery would reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports by processing domestic crude, the latest import data suggests that the facility is still relying heavily on foreign supply to optimize operations.
Domestic Supply Shortfall Persists Despite Allocations
The trend also highlights longstanding supply constraints in the domestic market. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) reported that 67,657,559 barrels of crude were supplied to local refiners between January and August 2025. While this appears significant, it fell well short of industry demand.
Local processors had requested 123,480,500 barrels for the first half of 2025, meaning they received about 55.82 million barrels (45%) less than needed to meet refining targets. This shortfall has persisted despite Nigeria’s production rising to 1.63 million barrels per day in August, with much of the output still earmarked for export.
Refinery owners have repeatedly complained about difficulties accessing domestic crude, arguing that producers prefer selling to international buyers who pay in dollars, leaving local refiners strained by exchange rate pressures.
A Deepening Paradox for Nigeria’s Oil Sector
Nigeria’s crude import surge underscores a widening gap between production capacity and domestic refining needs. The country continues to export significant volumes of crude while depending on imports for refining—highlighting the persistent weakness of state refineries and the limits of current crude allocation mechanisms.
As Nigeria’s refining sector seeks to stabilize, the growing reliance on US crude raises questions about long-term sustainability and domestic energy security. Unless domestic supply constraints are resolved, imported crude may remain a key component of Nigeria’s refining landscape—even as the country continues to claim the position of Africa’s top oil producer.