Nigerian domestic refineries received only 41% of crude oil offered by producers in the first quarter of 2026, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, has said .
The development reveals a persistent supply gap that undermines the federal government’s push for energy sufficiency.
NUPRC’s Q1 2026 Domestic Crude Supply Obligation, DCSO, report shows producers offered 68.7 million barrels to local refineries — 6.8 million barrels more than the 61.9 million barrels allocated. But only 28.5 million barrels were delivered.
This leaves 40.2 million barrels undelivered, putting the supply conversion rate between 36% and 46% for the quarter.
NUPRC mandated 22.6 million barrels in January, but producers offered 25.3 million. Actual delivery was 9.2 million barrels — 36% of what was offered.
The following month, NUPRC allocated 20.5 million barrels, but producers offered 19.8 million — 700,000 barrels below target.
Actual supply was 9.1 million barrels.
In March, delivery peaked at 10.1 million barrels. This was less than half of the 23.6 million barrels producers offered, which was 4.8 million barrels above NUPRC’s 18.8 million-barrel allocation.
NUPRC attributed the gap to “pricing disagreements between producers and domestic refiners.” It said DCSO transactions follow a “willing buyer, willing seller” framework under the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
While the market-based approach protects commercial terms, it has left millions of barrels stranded despite availability.
NUPRC said it will continuously refine the DCSO methodology to improve transparency and efficiency and ensure local refineries receive committed supply.
It also pledged to sustain recent gains in crude production while closing the delivery gap.