Fuel importers have confirmed receiving fresh licences from the Federal Government to import petroleum products into the country for the third quarter of 2026, The PUNCH reports.

A dealer familiar with the development told The PUNCH on Wednesday that the approved companies had begun receiving their import permits from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. “Yes, licences have been issued. We just got the licences today,” the dealer said.

The source, however, did not provide details of the volume allocated to the company under the import approval.

Findings by our correspondent showed that the beneficiaries include AA Rano, AYM Shafa, Pinnacle Oil, Matrix Energy, and NIPCO, among other downstream operators.

The confirmation comes barely a day after global energy intelligence firm Argus Media reported that the Federal Government had approved fresh imports of petrol and diesel for the July-September 2026 period to forestall possible fuel shortages across the country.

According to the report, the latest approvals were granted amid concerns over declining fuel stock levels and reduced gasoline production from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has become a major supplier of petrol to the domestic market.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the permits were issued to major downstream players as authorities sought to guarantee uninterrupted product availability nationwide while balancing local refining output with import requirements.

Argus Media had listed AA Rano, AYM Shafa, Bono Energy, NIPCO, Matrix Energy, and Pinnacle Oil among the companies cleared to import Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, during the third quarter.

The fresh approvals signal the government’s continued efforts to maintain fuel supply stability despite increasing domestic refining capacity and ongoing reforms in the downstream petroleum sector.

The publication further reported that the same companies, with the exception of Nipco, were granted approvals to import Automotive Gas Oil, commonly known as diesel. The fresh approvals follow an earlier batch of petrol import permits issued by the regulator in May, covering about 720,000 metric tonnes.

Quoting a regulatory source, Argus reported that many of the companies granted the latest approvals were among those that had received permits in previous rounds. “These are some of the same ones that previously received the PMS permits,” the source was quoted as saying.

According to sources cited by the publication, AA Rano and Matrix Energy each received approvals to import 180,000 metric tonnes of petrol. AYM Shafa received approval for 120,000 metric tonnes, while Pinnacle Oil received a permit covering 150,000 metric tonnes.