By John Moses
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has announced the commencement of a licensing regime for lubricant imports, as part of a broader effort to curb the influx of substandard and counterfeit lubricant products into the country.
The announcement was made on Wednesday at a stakeholder workshop in Abuja, where NMDPRA’s Chief Executive, Mr Farouk Ahmed—represented by Francis Ogaree, Executive Director of Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure—outlined the agency’s commitment to improving quality control in the sector.
To support this initiative, the Authority has launched a new Lubricant Importation Module within the Lube Oil Blending Plant (LOBP) Portal. This digital tool streamlines application, approval, and monitoring processes, and is fully integrated with the Nigeria Customs Service’s BÓdugwu platform to enable real-time tracking and ensure regulatory compliance.
Mr Ahmed stated that under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, the NMDPRA is mandated to guarantee that all petroleum products, including lubricants, meet stringent safety and quality standards.
“Poor-quality lubricants not only damage machinery but erode trust and lead to unnecessary economic losses,” he said. “Our new framework offers importers faster approvals and more transparency, while supporting local producers by identifying opportunities for domestic manufacturing in a fair and accountable environment.”
He added that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s industrialisation agenda, which aims to reduce Nigeria’s dependency on imports and foster local capacity.
However, not all stakeholders welcomed the move. Emeka Obidike, Executive Director of the Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN), warned that the licensing requirement could negatively impact existing domestic lubricant plants and threaten up to 200,000 jobs. He expressed concern that the policy might discourage investment and undermine the government’s industrial policy goals.
Despite the pushback, NMDPRA officials insisted that the licensing system would create a safer, more transparent market and protect both consumers and industrial equipment from the dangers of fake and unregulated lubricant products.
