Figures from the Foreign Trade Report of the National Bureau of Statistics had said that Nigeria’s crude oil exports jumped to N5.6 trillion in the first quarter of 2022.

This reflects nearly 200 percent increase when compared to the same period in 2021.

NBS said that Nigeria’s total merchandise trade stood at N13 trillion in the first quarter of 2022, indicating an increase of 11.05 percent over the value recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 65.41 percent higher when compared to the value recorded in the first quarter of 2021.

The export trade in the quarter under review stood at N7.1 trillion, showing a rise of 23.1 percent over the value recorded in the preceding quarter and also an increase of 137.9 per cent over the corresponding period of the preceding year.

On the other hand, total imports were valued at N5.90 trillion, indicating a decrease of 0.7 per cent over the value recorded in the preceding quarter.

According to the report, the value of exports trade in the first quarter of 2022 was dominated by crude oil exports valued at N5.6 trillion which accounted for 79.16 percent of total exports while non-crude oil exports value stood at N1.4 trillion or 20.84 per cent of total exports, of which non-oil products contributed N715.19billion representing 10.07 percent of total exports.

The latest figures by the NBS show a 194 per cent increase in Nigeria’s crude oil exports when compared to the first quarter of 2021 (N1.9trn).

The figures also indicate the continued decline in the performance of the non-oil sector, which contributed N1.47trn (20.84 per cent) to the total exports in the period under review.

According to the report, the value of manufactured goods stood at N3.1 trillion, representing 24.55 per cent of total trade. However, the export component accounted for only N219.08 billion of the total trade, meaning Nigeria imported nearly 15 times the value of manufactured goods it exported in the first quarter of the year.