US Exported More Crude to Nigeria Than It Imported for the First Time — EIA

The United States became a net exporter of crude oil to Nigeria for the first time in history this February and March, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the EIA attributed the shift to reduced demand from US refineries and increased crude imports by Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

“The United States exported more crude oil to Nigeria than it received from Nigeria for the first time in February and March 2025,” the agency said.

“During this period, refinery maintenance on the U.S. East Coast drove down U.S. demand for crude oil imports, including imports from Nigeria, and the relatively new Dangote refinery in Nigeria drove up Nigeria’s demand for inputs, including crude oil it imported from the United States.”

Historically, Nigeria has been one of the major suppliers of crude oil to the US.

“In nearly every year between 1973, when our country-level crude oil import data series began, and 2011, when an increase in domestic crude oil production reduced the need for light, sweet crude oil from Nigeria and other countries, Nigeria ranked among the top five sources of U.S. crude oil imports,” the statement noted.

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The agency added that “U.S. gross exports of crude oil to Nigeria reached 111,000 barrels per day (b/d) in February 2025 and 169,000 b/d in March,” while imports from Nigeria dropped significantly in the same period.

The EIA attributed the trend reversal partly to “maintenance at the Phillips 66 Bayway refinery in New Jersey,” which lowered import demand.