Motorists and commuters across Nigeria are still battling soaring petrol prices and rising transportation costs despite the Federal Government’s fuel discount initiative, with petrol selling for as much as N1,505 per litre at some Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH across several states showed that petrol prices remained between N1,379 and N1,470 per litre at different NNPC stations, while motorists in Minna, Niger State, reportedly paid between N1,450 and N1,505 per litre.
Although the NNPC introduced a N66-per-litre discount for eligible customers at participating outlets, the relief has done little to ease the burden on many Nigerians, particularly commercial drivers, traders, workers and students grappling with escalating living costs.
The discount, which requires customers to download and register on the NNPC mobile application, has also generated complaints over accessibility, with some motorists questioning why a government-backed relief initiative requires additional steps before consumers can benefit.
Across Kwara, Gombe, Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Plateau, Kogi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun and Borno states, transport operators said high fuel prices and vehicle maintenance expenses continued to erode their earnings, while passengers complained of fares that had remained high or increased despite the announced intervention.
In Gombe State, motorists reported petrol prices of about N1,425 per litre at NNPC stations, while a commercial motorcycle operator, Mohammed Sati, said fares on some routes had increased from N500 to between N800 and N1,000. A trader, Suraj, warned that higher transportation costs were putting additional pressure on businesses, forcing traders to consider increasing the prices of goods to recover their expenses.
In Kwara State, petrol sold for N1,405 per litre at NNPC outlets in Ilorin. A commercial driver, Kalejaye Yusuf, said the cost of fuel had made it increasingly difficult for operators to balance their running expenses with passengers’ ability to pay. A government worker, Nana Ismail, said the cost of maintaining her car had become so burdensome that she sometimes parked it and relied on commercial motorcycles.
A journalist, Azeez Arisekola, also questioned the requirement for customers to download and register on the NNPC application before accessing the reduced price, arguing that the arrangement could exclude consumers unfamiliar with digital platforms.
In Lagos State, the President of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Abiodun Akintade, alleged that some NNPC filling stations had yet to reflect the announced discount in their pump prices. Akintade cited outlets in Ijanikin and Iyana-Iba, where he said petrol was still selling for N1,355 per litre, the same price charged before the discount was announced.
He said he had personally visited the NNPC station in Ijanikin, opposite a police station, and found no change in the price. He added that the situation was similar at Iyana-Iba.
In Kano State, petrol sold for N1,420 per litre at the NNPC stations visited by Sunday PUNCH, while transport operators said frequent price changes made it difficult to predict their daily expenses.
Three commercial tricycle operators, Abdulkareem Umar, Haruna Yusuf and Tijjani Gwarzo, said petrol prices had fluctuated in recent days without delivering meaningful relief to operators or passengers. Abdulkareem said he bought petrol at N1,440 per litre from Aliko Oil on Saturday, adding that the price difference between NNPC stations and other outlets was only about N10 to N20 per litre.
Commuters also reported that fares remained unchanged. A student, Musa Abdullahi, said his journey from Kabuga to his school in Tarauni still cost N500, while a civil servant, Bala Umar, said he continued to spend N600 daily travelling to his office at the Audu Bako Secretariat.
In Jigawa State, petrol sold for N1,405 per litre at NNPC stations in Dutse, Gumel and Hadejia, with attendants saying they had yet to receive instructions to implement a price reduction. An attendant at an NNPC station in Dutse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We sell at N1,405. There is no discount here. We have not received any circular to reduce the price.”
The high fuel costs have also translated into steeper transport fares. A market woman, Zuwaira Ibrahim, said her fare from Shuwarin to Dutse New Central Market had risen from N500 to N700, while the journey from Dutse to Hadejia had increased from N3,000 to N4,000. A Federal University, Dutse student, Aisha Sani, said commercial tricycle operators now charged N300 for short journeys that previously cost N200.
”Keke now collects N300 for a short distance that was N200. Where is the discount?” she asked. A tricycle operator, Ibrahim Danladi, said his daily earnings had dropped from N8,000 before October 1 to about N4,000.
In Minna, Niger State, petrol prices at the NNPC mega station around City Gate fluctuated between N1,450 and N1,505 per litre. A motorist, Mustapha Abdullahi, said the cost of travelling from Minna to Abuja had risen sharply, increasing from N3,500 last year to N7,000 in March and N11,000 currently. He attributed the rising fares partly to the condition of the Minna-Abuja highway, which he said damaged vehicles and increased maintenance expenses.
Similarly, a tricycle operator, Sadiq Ndanusa, who operates between Kpakungu and Mekunkele in Minna, said journeys that previously cost between N300 and N600 had become difficult to offer for less than N800. He said the combination of expensive petrol and frequent vehicle repairs had significantly reduced his earnings, leaving him considering abandoning the business.
In Jos, Plateau State, petrol sold for N1,410 per litre at the NNPC stations visited by Sunday PUNCH, while passengers said transportation fares remained high. A market woman, Saratu Musa, said her daily fare from Terminus to Farin Gada had increased from N300 to between N400 and N500, depending on the driver. A bus driver on the Terminus-Bukuru route, Sani Abdullahi, said the increase in the NNPC pump price from N1,370 to N1,410 per litre had further squeezed his earnings.
”How can I reduce fares? Fuel is N1,410 today at NNPC. Last week it was N1,370. After buying fuel and giving money to the owner of the bus, what will remain?” he asked.
In Kogi State, petrol sold for N1,410 per litre at the NNPC station in Felele, along the Lokoja-Abuja Expressway. A resident, Samson Eleijoh, said the high cost of transportation had restricted his movement, adding that he had not visited his parents in four months because of the expense of travelling from Ganaja village to Felele.
In Kaduna State, motorists reported paying N1,379 per litre at some NNPC retail outlets, while eligible customers who used the company’s mobile application and paid digitally paid N1,339 per litre, representing a N40 difference. The station manager at an NNPC outlet in Unguwan Sarki, Yusuf Usman, explained that the discount did not establish a uniform pump price nationwide.
In Borno State, the difference was more pronounced. Petrol reportedly sold for N1,470 per litre to customers who did not use the application, compared with N1,350 for those who accessed the discounted price. A motorist, Francis Chubiyo, confirmed the difference, saying customers could save N120 per litre by using the application at participating outlets.
However, residents said the reduction had not translated into cheaper transportation. A trader, Maryam Nda, said fares on her regular routes remained unchanged, although she welcomed the availability of electric taxis as a cheaper alternative. A tricycle operator, Ibrahim Gana, said many operators bought petrol from whichever outlet was closest to them, while others did not know how to use the application. He questioned the benefit of travelling to an NNPC station to buy petrol at N1,470 per litre when other outlets charged about N1,500.
Motorists in Sokoto and Kebbi states said petrol continued to sell for N1,430 per litre at the NNPC stations visited. Some criticised the conditions attached to the discount, arguing that a relief initiative intended to ease the economic burden on Nigerians should be more widely accessible.
In Osun State, however, the state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Kazeem Oyewale, said commercial drivers had benefited from the initiative. “Yes, our members benefited from the discount,” he told Sunday PUNCH in a telephone interview.
Responding to the concerns, the NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said petrol prices would not be uniform nationwide because of differences in transportation, logistics and location-related costs.
”The NNPC has already said that there won’t be a uniform petrol price across the nation. It won’t be like the price will be the same everywhere,” Odeh said.
He explained that not all NNPC retail outlets participated in the discount scheme and advised customers to use the company’s mobile application to identify eligible stations.
”Some NNPC retail outlets may also not be in the scheme. If you download the app, you will see and know which NNPC retail outlet is in the scheme,” he added.
Odeh said customers were required to download and register on the application to qualify for the N66-per-litre reduction.
