Nigerians spent N1.58tn on petrol in December 2025 as fuel consumption rose to 63.7 million litres daily, driven by festive travel and business activity
Nigerians spent N1.58tn on petrol in December 2025, according to official fuel consumption data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, highlighting the heavy cost of energy on households and businesses.
Also read: Dangote Refinery petrol price sparks long queues at MRS filling stations
The NMDPRA December fact sheet showed that average daily petrol consumption stood at 63.7 million litres throughout the month. With 31 days in December, total nationwide consumption reached approximately 1.97 billion litres.
Applying an average pump price of about N800 per litre across major cities, Nigerians spent N1.58tn on petrol during the Yuletide period, underscoring the scale of consumer expenditure in a fully deregulated downstream market.
Petrol usage remained consistently high, largely driven by festive travel, increased commercial activity and higher electricity demand from petrol-powered generators during the holiday season.
Although the Dangote Petroleum Refinery slashed petrol prices in December from around N900 to N739 per litre, many filling stations, particularly in northern states, sold above N800 during the period. This kept the national average price elevated despite the price intervention.
Nigerians spent N1.58tn on petrol at a time when December recorded the highest daily consumption since October 2024. By comparison, daily petrol consumption in December 2024 stood at 52.3 million litres, indicating a significant year-on-year increase.
Regulatory data showed that daily PMS consumption rose to 56.9 million litres in October 2025, dipped to 52.9 million in November, and surged sharply in December to 63.7 million litres.
According to the NMDPRA, the consumption figures are based on volumes trucked into the domestic market by both the Dangote refinery and fuel importers.
Nigeria imported about 1.31 billion litres of petrol in December, while the Dangote refinery supplied 992 million litres during the same period.
Total petrol supply averaged 74.2 million litres per day in December, with imports contributing 42.2 million litres per day and Dangote supplying 32 million litres daily.
About 10 million litres per day were not trucked out during the month.
The regulator noted that supply improved significantly due to increased output from the Dangote refinery, which ramped up deliveries from 19.5 million litres per day to 32 million litres per day.
Also read: Dangote fuel price cut triggers brutal petrol price war
The estimate that Nigerians spent N1.58tn on petrol in a single month reflects the growing financial pressure of fuel costs in the post-subsidy era, even as improved domestic refining helps stabilise availability.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
