Nigeria’s nationwide petrol consumption has dropped by 28 per cent in the past two years, leaving filling stations with fewer customers and pump attendants idle. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shows that daily consumption fell from 68.35 million litres in June 2023, shortly after subsidy removal, to 49.27 million litres in June 2025.
The sharp decline followed President Bola Tinubu’s subsidy removal announcement during his May 29, 2023 inauguration, which pushed petrol prices from under ₦200 per litre to over ₦600 within weeks. Since then, prices have fluctuated frequently, with the impact felt most by independent marketers who now struggle to sell fuel as demand continues to shrink.
Station managers across Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and other states lamented poor patronage, noting that it now takes up to two months to sell a 30,000-litre tanker. Attendants described long idle hours as fewer cars show up, while many customers only buy petrol sparingly, prioritising household expenses and other pressing needs over refuelling.
In contrast, some retail outlets—especially MRS, a partner of Dangote Refinery—have recorded high patronage due to slightly cheaper pump prices. Checks revealed that MRS sells petrol for about ₦865 per litre, compared to ₦870–₦890 at other outlets, drawing long queues in Lagos and Nasarawa. Still, most independent stations remain deserted.
The decline in petrol use has coincided with a surge in demand for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which sells for about ₦230 per kilogram. Long queues were seen at CNG stations in Abuja and other major cities as more motorists convert their vehicles to run on gas. Industry stakeholders say this shift, coupled with high pump prices and fewer cross-border smuggling activities, is reshaping Nigeria’s fuel market.
According to Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) spokesperson, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, the sector is facing a “trying time” as returns on investment shrink. He warned that independent marketers risk extinction by 2028 without government support. Energy analyst Henry Adigun added that frequent pump price changes threaten sector stability, stressing that healthy competition—particularly between Dangote Refinery and importers—is necessary to protect both marketers and consumers.
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