Crude Oil Sourcing in Nigeria and West Africa: Seller, Title and Buyer Checks

Crude oil procurement starts with verifying the contracting parties, product and legal supply route. A buyer sourcing feedstock for a Nigerian refinery or an international receiver needs a specification, delivery programme and credible evidence of the seller’s ability to perform. Wigmore Trading can assess commercial sourcing and logistics enquiries.

Define the refinery requirement

Provide the required crude grade or assay envelope, quantity, loading or delivery window and receiving point. A refinery’s technical team should evaluate suitability. Crude from Nigeria, Angola or another West African origin should not be assumed interchangeable.

Separate a request for market information from a firm buying mandate. Identify who can authorise negotiations and who will review product and counterparty evidence.

Verify seller authority and allocation claims

Establish the seller’s legal identity, beneficial ownership and the basis of its title or supply rights. Confirm any claimed producer mandate or NNPC allocation directly through the principal’s established official channel, using independently obtained contact information.

This page does not identify Wigmore as an NNPC allocation agent, a holder of crude allocations or an appointed supplier to Dangote refinery. Those relationships must not be inferred from a keyword or a preliminary conversation.

Product and cargo evidence

Ask for the appropriate assay and quality records, quantity basis and loading programme information. Documents should connect to the actual proposed parcel and authorised issuer. A collection of unverified certificates is not evidence of a deliverable cargo.

Independent inspection, where agreed, needs an appointed provider, scope, timing and reporting procedure. Confirm access and responsibility for sampling, measurement and any discrepancies.

Title, transport and payment documents

Have the contracting parties and legal advisers define when ownership and risk pass, what evidence supports each step and which documents trigger payment. A bill of lading and a certificate of quality serve different purposes; neither should be treated as a universal proof of every seller claim.

Ensure sale, charter, inspection and banking documents use consistent names, dates, product descriptions and responsibilities. Resolve documentary requirements before the cargo is scheduled.

Export and compliance review

NUPRC publishes a crude export permit process. Confirm the current activity-specific requirements with the competent parties, including any other applicable approvals. Do not use a refined-product checklist as a substitute for crude cargo compliance.

Review beneficial ownership, source of product, sanctions exposure, vessel history and payment route through qualified compliance advisers and banks. Checks should be proportionate to the transaction and updated when material facts change.

Commercial terms and practical delivery

Request the pricing mechanism, quality and quantity adjustment terms, delivery basis, nomination process and payment security. Identify the consequences of delay or non-performance. Do not pay an unexplained “allocation activation” charge without independently verifying its basis and recipient.

Feedstock sourcing also depends on vessel and terminal compatibility. Coordinate the cargo window and receiving arrangements rather than treating shipping as an afterthought.

Discuss a crude sourcing brief

Send Wigmore Trading your authorised buyer role, product requirement, volume, destination and schedule. Our team can assess the commercial and logistics scope. Any offer must identify the actual seller, evidence, responsibilities and conditions; this guide is not a live cargo offer.

Does an LOI prove a buyer or seller can perform?

No. It communicates intent. Authority, capacity, compliance and contract terms require separate verification.

Related buying guides

• Crude Oil Tanker Charter in Nigeria: VLCC, Suezmax, Laytime and Cargo Planning
• Petroleum and Commodity Trade Finance in Nigeria: Preparing a Bankable Enquiry
• Marine Cargo and Vessel Insurance in Nigeria: Petroleum Buyer’s Checklist

Official references

• NUPRC crude export permit process

Buyer guidance reviewed 28 October 2026. Images illustrate the subject; they do not establish a particular product, facility or asset as available stock.