Nigeria Oil Refiners Demand End to Imports, Guaranteed Crude Access

Nigeria's oil refiners are demanding an end to petroleum-product imports and guaranteed access to local crude, warning that continued fuel imports undermine the country's efforts to retain more value from its black gold. At the 3rd Nigeria Oil Refining Summit 2026 in Lagos, stakeholders including CORAN and Dangote Group urged increased upstream production to sustain domestic refining capacity.

CORAN Chairman Momoh Oyarekhua emphasized that Nigeria must progressively reduce petroleum-product imports, restricting them to objectively determined domestic supply shortfalls and strategic stock requirements. He also called for the full institutionalisation of naira-for-crude, with transparent eligibility and access for qualifying domestic refineries.

The refining association maintained that achieving its objective requires cooperation among producers, refiners, regulators, financiers, and infrastructure operators, particularly as the industry moves towards greater domestic crude utilisation and reduced dependence on imported petroleum products. CORAN said Nigeria's expanding refining capacity makes increased upstream exploration critical, citing Nigerian crude and condensate production reaching about 1.7 million barrels per day in June 2026.