The United States reduced its crude oil imports from Nigeria during the first three months of 2026, according to new trade figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The report showed that the U.S. spent about $578.78 million on Nigerian crude oil between January and March 2026. This is lower than the $681.40 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
The decline represents a drop of more than $102 million, which is about 15 percent lower than last year’s figure.
Data from the report also revealed that the volume of crude oil shipped from Nigeria to the United States decreased during the period. The U.S. imported 7.84 million barrels of Nigerian crude in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 8.44 million barrels during the same period in 2025.
This means exports dropped by about 590,000 barrels, representing a 7 percent decrease year-on-year.
The figures further showed a sharp fall in exports between February and March 2026. In February alone, the U.S. imported 4.64 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria. However, by March, imports had dropped significantly to 1.54 million barrels.
In monetary terms, the value of those imports also declined heavily. Nigerian crude imports were valued at $345.33 million in February, but fell to $114.49 million in March.
Analysts believe the drop may be linked to weaker demand, supply adjustments, changing global oil trade patterns, and operational challenges affecting Nigeria’s oil sector.
The customs value of Nigerian crude oil exports, which excludes shipping and insurance costs, also recorded a decline. The value stood at $561.69 million in 2026 compared to $663.79 million in the same period of 2025.
Despite the reduction, Nigeria still remained one of the leading African suppliers of crude oil to the United States.
However, Nigeria’s share of total African crude exports to the U.S. fell sharply. In the first quarter of 2025, Nigeria accounted for about 61.7 percent of African crude imports into the U.S. But in 2026, that figure dropped to around 34.8 percent.
The report suggests that other African oil-producing countries such as Libya and Ghana increased their presence in the U.S. market during the period.
Even with the decline, Nigerian crude oil continues to remain important to American refineries because of its light sweet crude grades, which are easier and cheaper to refine into fuel products.
Meanwhile, the latest operational report from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited showed that crude oil sales also dropped locally.
According to NNPC, crude oil sales fell to 17.37 million barrels in March 2026. This was lower than the 22.85 million barrels sold in February and 25.75 million barrels recorded in January.
Oil production, however, remained stable at 1.56 million barrels per day in March and February, slightly higher than the 1.51 million barrels per day produced in January.
NNPC explained that pipeline problems affected production during the period. The company said the Trans Forcados Pipeline experienced disruptions caused by a leak at the Keremor axis, which affected operations between February 20 and March 25.
The company added that it is working on recovery plans aimed at improving production, fixing evacuation challenges, and strengthening oil asset reliability across the country.
