The United States sharply reduced its imports of Nigerian crude oil in January 2026, with volumes dropping by 47.16 per cent month-on-month, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Figures from the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report showed that crude imports from Nigeria fell to 1.664 million barrels in January, down from 3.149 million barrels recorded in December 2025. This represents a decline of 1.485 million barrels within one month.
In value terms, the drop was equally significant. The customs value of Nigerian crude imports declined from $217.36m in December to $115.99m in January, while the cost, insurance, and freight value fell from $223.10m to $118.95m over the same period.
The gap between CIF and customs value narrowed to about $2.96m in January from $5.74m in December, suggesting relatively lower shipping or insurance costs during the period.
The decline comes amid a broader slowdown in total U.S. crude imports, which fell by 5.1 per cent to 188.21 million barrels in January from 198.29 million barrels in December. Total import value also declined over the same period.
Within Africa, Nigeria lost ground to competitors. Angola’s exports to the United States rose sharply to 2.062 million barrels from 575,000 barrels, while Ghana emerged as a new supplier with 738,000 barrels. Libya’s exports, however, dropped from 2.137 million barrels to 1.086 million barrels.
Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports weakened to 0.88 per cent in January from 1.59 per cent in December, reflecting the sharp reduction in volumes.
Further analysis showed that crude oil remained Nigeria’s dominant export to the United States. Total U.S. imports from Nigeria stood at $183m in January, down from $297m in December, with crude accounting for between 63.4 per cent and 65.0 per cent of that figure.
The United States recorded a goods trade surplus of $419m with Nigeria in January, up from $84m in December. This was driven by a rise in U.S. exports to Nigeria, which increased from $381m to $602m.
Across Africa, the United States posted a trade deficit of $503m in January, reversing a $174m surplus recorded in December, as imports from the continent increased.
Despite the decline, Nigeria remained Africa’s largest crude exporter to the United States in 2025, accounting for 52.2 per cent of total shipments, up from 49.0 per cent in 2024.
The drop in exports occurred even as Nigeria’s production increased. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reported crude output of 1.64 million barrels per day in January, up from 1.55 million barrels per day in December.
The company also recorded N2.57tn in revenue for January, representing a 47 per cent decline from N4.82tn in December, while profit after tax stood at N385bn.
The trade shift comes amid evolving U.S. trade policies under Donald Trump, including tariff adjustments that have affected non-oil exports and influenced global trade flows.
Commenting on the development, economist Muda Yusuf said Nigeria’s trade exposure to the United States remains limited, noting that visa restrictions pose a more significant long-term challenge to trade and investment than tariffs.
