The United States reduced its purchase of Nigerian crude oil sharply in January 2026, with imports dropping by about 47.16 percent month-on-month, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Figures from the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report indicate that U.S. crude imports from Nigeria fell to 1.664 million barrels in January 2026, down from 3.149 million barrels recorded in December 2025. This represents a decline of 1.485 million barrels within one month, showing a significant contraction in Nigeria’s share of the U.S. crude market.
In value terms, the drop was equally steep. The Customs value of Nigerian crude imports declined from $217.36m in December to $115.99m in January, while the cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value fell from $223.10m to $118.95m over the same period.
The difference between the two measures reflects additional costs such as shipping and insurance included in CIF values, which are excluded from Customs valuation. This means that in January, the CIF value of Nigerian crude was about $2.96m higher than its Customs value, compared to a wider gap of about $5.74m in December.
The contraction comes amid a broader slowdown in total U.S. crude imports, which declined from 198.29 million barrels in December to 188.21 million barrels in January, representing a drop of about 5.1%. Total import value also fell, with Customs value decreasing from $11.41bn to $10.56bn, while CIF value dropped from $12.04bn to $11.15bn.
Within Africa, Nigeria lost ground to some peers. While total African crude exports to the U.S. remained flat at 6.933 million barrels, Angola recorded a sharp increase, rising from 575,000 barrels in December to 2.062 million barrels in January.
Ghana also emerged as a new supplier with 738,000 barrels, having recorded no measurable exports in December. By contrast, Libya saw its exports to the U.S. decline from 2.137 million barrels to 1.086 million barrels over the period. Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports also weakened. The country accounted for roughly 0.88% of total U.S. crude imports in January, down from about 1.59% in December, reflecting the sharp reduction in volumes.
Further analysis of U.S. trade data shows that crude oil remains the dominant component of Nigeria’s exports to the United States. Total U.S. imports from Nigeria stood at $183m in January 2026, compared to $297m in December 2025.
Despite the lower volume, Nigeria’s share of Africa’s crude exports to the U.S. rose. In 2025, Nigeria’s 46.618m barrels accounted for 52.2 per cent of Africa’s total shipments, up from 49.0 per cent in 2024, when it exported 50.793m barrels out of the continent’s 103.631 million barrels.
It was observed that the decline in crude exports to the U.S. occurred despite higher production. The trade outcomes come against the backdrop of renewed US protectionist rhetoric and tariff-focused trade policies associated with US President Donald Trump, which have influenced sourcing decisions, pricing structures, and trade flows globally.
Recall that last year, Trump signed an Executive order raising Nigeria’s tariff rate from 14% to 15%, with Washington implementing its “reciprocal” tariff regime. The order, issued in late July, took effect on August 7, 2025. Although crude oil has been exempted in several cases, the higher duty applies directly to a wide range of non-oil Nigerian exports, creating uncertainty for American importers and dampening demand ahead of, and after, the effective date.
With crude oil exports largely exempted from the new tariff regime, non-oil exports appear to have borne the brunt of the disruption.
Since its inception, the Trump administration has steadily rolled out a series of visa restrictions and travel bans targeting Nigeria and several other countries.
