BRUSSELSLONDON, June 23 Reuters Nigeria has accumulated up to 3 billion in debts to trading houses such as Vitol and oil majors such as BP for fuel supplies and is trailing four to six months behind schedule in repaying them with cargoes of crude, four traders and executives told Reuters.

Nigeria will likely take months to clear the debt, which will complicate reforms by new President Bola Tinubu aimed at weaning Africa39;s largest economy and most populous nation off costly fuel subsidies that have contributed to growing debt and foreign exchange shortages.

In his first two weeks in office, Tinubu removed petrol price caps and restrictions on the naira currency liberalisation changes that investors have been awaiting for more than a decade.

As part of those reforms, Nigeria, Africa39;s top oil producer, plans to scrap an old scheme by which it swaps its crude for gasoline imports. Nigeria for years sold the gasoline, bought at the open market price, to its population at a discount, and the government paid the difference.

The subsidy costs about 10 billion last year. The last time the government tried to end the scheme, the move led to protests. Nigeria needs imports because it lacks the refinery capacity necessary to meet domestic demand.

The head of Nigeria39;s state oil firm NNPC, Mele Kyari, said earlier this month it was ending the swaps known as Direct Purchase Direct Sale DSDP after years of criticism by civil society groups including the Nigerian…