A total of 149,500 metric tonnes, equivalent to 194.35m litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, entered and will land in the country through various ports between Friday, November 21, and Tuesday, November 25, 2025, according to findings by The PUNCH.

This development comes days after the Federal Government announced the postponement of the 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol import.

In October, The PUNCH reported that President Bola Tinubu had approved the introduction of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imports into Nigeria. The initiative is aimed at protecting local refineries and stabilising the downstream market, but it is likely to raise pump prices.

In a letter dated October 21, 2025, reported publicly on October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Tinubu directed the immediate implementation of the tariff as part of what the government described as a “market-responsive import tariff framework.”

The letter, signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, and obtained by our correspondent, conveyed the President’s approval following a proposal by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji. The proposal sought to apply a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance, and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.

However, last week, The PUNCH also reported that the Federal Government had approved the postponement of the implementation of the 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel until the first quarter of 2026.

Meanwhile, the latest Shipping Position by the Nigerian Ports Authority, sighted by our correspondent on Sunday, revealed that Tincan Island Port received the highest number of imports, with 58,500 metric tonnes handled by the terminal within two days.

Calabar Port handled 46,000 metric tonnes, while Warri handled 45,000 metric tonnes. A breakdown of the imports showed that, “On Friday, November 21, 28,000 metric tonnes of PMS came through the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Phase 3a in Tincan Island Port through different vessels, while on Saturday, a vessel with 20,500 metric tonnes came through the same KLT Phase 3a, and another came with 10,000 metric tons through KLT Phase 2, all at Tincan Island.”

According to the report, Calabar Port on Monday, November 24, will receive 16,000 metric tonnes via Dozzy Oil and Gas Limited, and will receive a total of 30,000 metric tonnes through the same terminal, by North West Petroleum and Gas Limited, on Tuesday, November 25.

Warri Port on Friday received 15,000 metric tonnes through the Rainoil Terminal, and on Saturday received a total of 30,000 metric tonnes through Rainoil and Matric Energy Nigeria Limited.

The Shipping Position is a daily publication by the NPA that provides real-time or near-real-time information about vessel traffic. It typically shows which ships have arrived, which are berthing, what cargoes they carry, and which vessels are waiting to come in. The information is broken down by port complex — for example, Lagos (Apapa), Tin-Can, Onne, Rivers, Calabar, and Delta.

The PUNCH recently reported that petroleum marketers might be on the verge of shelving petrol importation in the near term following the cut in the ex-depot price of the product by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which slashed its gantry price by 49 per litre a few days ago.

Major and retail marketers, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, had admitted that the latest price adjustment had significantly altered the dynamics of fuel supply and competition in the downstream market.

The price cut came amid the Federal Government’s 15 per cent import tariff on refined fuel, a policy that was expected to further widen the price gap between imported petrol and locally refined products, in favour of the latter.

However, the government suspended the policy by shifting it to next year, a development that spurred imports by dealers, as seen in the surge in the past few days, as well as the millions of litres being expected into the country on Monday and Tuesday.