Nigerians are facing severe disruptions due to a combination of chronic fuel shortages and steep price hikes, resulting in long queues at petrol stations and widespread transportation difficulties across the country.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), responsible for importing and distributing fuel, has attributed the shortages to its mounting debts and rising global oil prices. The impact has been felt nationwide, with many people stranded and forced to endure long waits at petrol stations. In Lagos, commuters are lining up at bus stations with very few buses available, while in other areas, public transport prices have doubled, forcing some to trek long distances.
On Tuesday, the NNPC announced a significant increase in the price of petrol, raising it from 617 naira ($0.40, £0.30) to 897 naira per litre. While NNPC petrol stations offer the cheapest fuel in the country, most private stations have followed suit, with prices in states like Oyo, Kano, and Kaduna soaring to as much as 1,200 naira per litre.
Many petrol stations across the country have either shut down due to lack of fuel or closed temporarily to adjust their prices. In the capital, Abuja, most stations remain open but are swamped with long queues as desperate drivers wait, some even spending the night in their cars.
In Kano, the main trading hub of northern Nigeria, many stations are closed as they adjust to the new prices. Motorcycle rider Aminu Danyaro described the situation as frustrating, saying, “Most of the fuel stations here in Kano are closed because they want to adjust their pumps to the new price. I was able to get fuel at 950 naira at a particular station, but other places have already started selling at 1,200 per litre.”
The black market is thriving, with traders selling fuel at inflated prices from jerrycans by the roadside, contributing to significantly reduced traffic in Kano.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the country’s main trade union, expressed feelings of betrayal over the situation. The NLC agreed to a new minimum monthly wage of 70,000 naira ($44, £34) in July, under the condition that petrol prices would not increase.
President Bola Tinubu, who came to power last year, shocked the nation on his first day by removing a subsidy that had kept fuel prices low. This move, along with other policies, has led to the worst economic crisis in a generation. Recent cost-of-living protests, dubbed “10 Days of Rage,” were held across the country in response to the escalating crisis.
Nigerians are now looking to the newly inaugurated Dangote Petroleum Refinery for relief. The privately owned refinery, built by one of Africa’s richest men, Aliko Dangote, recently began producing petrol. However, it remains unclear how soon this will translate into readily available fuel and lower prices for the general public.