As tension in the Middle East rages on, the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) reached a high of N1,413 per litre in Maiduguri, Borno State, in April 2026, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The NMDPRA Fact Sheet on the State of the Midstream and Downstream Sector for April 2026 showed that while the indicative pump price in Maiduguri stood at N1,377.79 per litre, the maximum actual pump price recorded in the city during the month hit N1,413, the highest ceiling price across major cities monitored.
In comparison, the maximum actual pump prices in other locations were Sokoto (N1,400), Kano (N1,390), Abuja (N1,385), Enugu (N1,390), Calabar (N1,333), and Lagos (N1,318). The average actual pump prices ranged from N1,271.50 in Lagos to N1,371.50 in Maiduguri. The figures, according to NMDPRA, are based on an average Nigerian foreign exchange market rate of N1,361.22 to the dollar and a dated Brent crude oil price of $120.55 per barrel for the period.
Sunday PUNCH reports that petrol prices jumped from N839 per litre in February after the US-Iran war led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which 20 per cent of global oil is transported. The disruption led to a rise in oil prices from less than $70 per barrel to $107 as of Wednesday.
Despite the high pump prices in parts of the country, the report stated that there was continued improvement in domestic refining output, particularly from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The Dangote refinery achieved an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 per cent in April, with PMS production averaging 53.6 million litres per day.
Of this, 40.7 million litres per day were supplied to the domestic market, while 17.1 million litres were exported. The refinery also produced 23.6 million litres per day of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and 22.9 million litres per day of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (jet fuel).
Total PMS daily supply rose to 44.4 million litres per day in April from 40.1 million litres in March, with domestic sources contributing 40.7 million litres, up from 34.2 million litres. Imports dropped to 3.7 million litres per day from 5.9 million litres. The fact sheet added that daily PMS consumption, based on volumes trucked out, increased to 51.1 million litres per day in April from 47.3 million litres in March, exceeding the 2026 daily benchmark of 50 million litres.
National fuel sufficiency stood at an average of 18 days for PMS, 39 days for diesel, 70 days for ATK, and 13 days for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) during the month. Related News Xenophobia: Desist from false claims, S’Africa leader tells Oshiomhole I was wrongly convicted for terrorism, says Kabiru Sokoto Meat disappears from Nigerian homes as cow prices soar While Dangote continued to dominate domestic production, the three state-owned refineries — Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna — remained shut throughout April.
It was learnt that three modular refineries — WalterSmith, Edo Refinery, and Aradel — operated at varying capacity utilisation levels, contributing an average of 560,000 litres per day of diesel to the domestic market. Also, average daily gas supply reached 5.142 billion standard cubic feet per day in April, up from 4.888 Bscf/d in March.
This included 3.129 Bscf/d supplied to NLNG and 2.012 Bscf/d to the domestic market. Major gas facilities recorded varying utilisation rates, with Gbaran-Ubie at 107.64 per cent and NLNG Trains 1-6 at 89.20 per cent. LPG supply averaged 4,545 metric tonnes per day against consumption of 4,818 metric tonnes per day.