The United States sharply reduced its purchase of Nigerian crude oil in January 2026, with imports falling by 47.16 per cent month-on-month, according to official trade data.
Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis show that imports dropped to 1.664 million barrels in January, down from 3.149 million barrels in December. The decline of 1.485 million barrels marks a steep contraction in Nigeria’s share of the U.S. crude market.
The fall was also clear in value terms. Nigerian crude imports dropped from $217.36m in December to $115.99m in January. Cost, insurance and freight (CIF) values followed a similar trend, declining from $223.10m to $118.95m.
The gap between customs and CIF values narrowed to about $2.96m in January, compared to $5.74m in December. This suggests lower shipping or insurance costs during the period.
The drop comes amid a broader slowdown in U.S. crude imports, which fell by 5.1 per cent to 188.21 million barrels in January.
Within Africa, Nigeria lost ground to competitors. Angola increased its exports to the U.S. from 575,000 barrels in December to 2.062 million barrels in January. Ghana also entered the market with 738,000 barrels after recording no exports the previous month. Libya, however, saw its exports fall to 1.086 million barrels.
Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports declined to 0.88 per cent in January, from 1.59 per cent in December.
Overall U.S. imports from Nigeria dropped to $183m in January, down from $297m in December. Crude oil remained the dominant export, accounting for about 63 to 65 per cent of total shipments, though this was lower than December’s 73 per cent.
Despite reduced imports, the U.S. recorded a goods trade surplus of $419m with Nigeria in January, driven by a rise in American exports to Nigeria, which increased to $602m.
The decline in crude exports came even as Nigeria’s production rose to 1.64 million barrels per day in January, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Analysts link the shift partly to changing global trade patterns and policy signals under Donald Trump, whose administration has introduced tariff-focused measures affecting trade flows.
Economist Muda Yusuf said Nigeria’s limited trade exposure to the U.S. reduces the overall impact. However, he warned that visa restrictions and barriers to business travel pose a longer-term challenge to economic ties.
The latest figures highlight growing competition in the U.S. crude market and underline Nigeria’s continued reliance on oil exports.
