Nigeria imported about 61.7 million barrels of crude oil from the United States between January 2024 and January 2026. This underscores the country’s growing reliance on foreign feedstock to support domestic refining, despite being a major oil producer.

This trend is notable as Nigeria exported over 300 million barrels of crude in the first 10 months of 2025 and 55.39 million barrels in January and February 2026. Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates a significant increase in crude exports from the United States to Nigeria during this period.

This marks a sharp reversal from nearly a decade of negligible crude trade flows between both countries. Before 2024, American crude shipments to Nigeria were virtually non-existent, with only a minor supply recorded in March 2016, averaging 19,000 barrels per day for the entire year.

The trade pattern shifted significantly in 2024, coinciding with the commencement of operations at the Dangote refinery. Industry observers suggest this refinery has become the primary buyer of US crude to supplement domestic supply constraints.

For 2024, data from January to June showed Nigeria imported 15.701 million barrels from the United States. Monthly inflows included 3.87 million barrels in January (125,000 bpd), 3.19 million barrels in February (110,000 bpd), and 1.58 million barrels in March (51,000 bpd).

Imports rose to 2.01 million barrels in April (67,000 bpd), dropped to 1.08 million barrels in May (35,000 bpd), and peaked at 3.96 million barrels in June (132,000 bpd).

The volume increased further in 2025, accounting for the largest share of the two-year imports. Between February and December 2025, Nigeria imported 41.06 million barrels of US crude. Imports started at 111,000 barrels per day in February and climbed steadily, peaking in June 2025 at 305,000 barrels per day (9.15 million barrels). August saw another strong inflow of 6.23 million barrels (201,000 bpd).

However, supply slowed towards the end of the year, with imports dropping to 0.36 million barrels in November (12,000 bpd) and rising slightly to 0.71 million barrels in December (23,000 bpd).

For 2026, data for January showed Nigeria imported 4.93 million barrels (159,000 bpd). The combined total for 2024, 2025, and January 2026 stood at 61.685 million barrels.

This development highlights a paradox where Nigeria exports large volumes of crude oil but struggles to supply enough feedstock to domestic refineries. For decades, Nigeria relied on importing refined petroleum products due to limited refining capacity.

The commissioning of the Dangote refinery in 2024 shifted this pattern, with the country now importing crude oil for local processing instead of finished fuels. Aliko Dangote stated that imports from the United States were driven by the need to bridge the gap between domestic crude supply and the refinery’s operational requirements.

The Dangote refinery, one of the world’s largest single-train refineries, requires over 19 million barrels monthly to operate at optimal capacity. Sources indicate the refinery also imports crude from Ghana and other African countries.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that Nigeria exported an estimated 306.7 million barrels of crude oil between January and October 2025. During this period, the country produced about 443.5 million barrels, averaging roughly 1.45 million barrels per day, with a significant portion shipped overseas.

Exports between January and October 2025 represented about 69 per cent of total production, leaving approximately 137 million barrels for domestic use. Similarly, Nigeria exported 55.39 million barrels of crude oil in the first two months of 2026.

In January 2026, crude production averaged 1.46 million barrels per day with exports at 1.01 mbpd. In February 2026, production fell to 1.31 mbpd while exports averaged 0.86 mbpd. Total crude production for these two months was 81.94 million barrels, leaving 26.55 million barrels for local refineries.

The Dangote refinery has reportedly faced challenges with low crude supply despite the naira-for-crude arrangement. The Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria has also lamented that some modular refineries have shut down intermittently due to inadequate crude supply.