Nigerian commuters and commercial transport operators continue to face elevated fuel costs and rising fares despite a federal government discount initiative, according to a report by Punch. The publication found that petrol prices at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets ranged from N1,400 to N1,470 per litre across multiple states, with some customers accessing lower rates only through the company’s mobile application. In Lagos, Abiodun Akintade, president of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, alleged that the discount was not fully implemented at certain stations, noting that prices in Ijanikin and Iyana-Iba remained at N1,355 per litre. He added that the situation was similar at Iyana-Iba.
In Kano, three tricycle operators reported that price fluctuations made daily planning difficult, while a student noted that his fare from Kabuga to Tarauni remained unchanged at N500. For commuters, the expected reduction in fares had yet to materialise. In Jigawa, an attendant at an NNPC station in Dutse stated that the station had not received a circular to reduce prices, selling fuel at N1,405 per litre. Meanwhile, a market woman reported that her fare from Shuwarin to the central market had increased from N500 to N700.
In Niger State, a motorist traveling to Abuja said that a journey costing N3,500 last year now costs N11,000, attributing the increase partly to the condition of the highway. In Plateau State, a bus driver explained that the pump price had risen from N1,370 to N1,410 per litre, squeezing his earnings. In Borno, a motorist confirmed that app users paid N1,350 per litre, while direct buyers paid N1,470, yet transport fares remained largely unchanged.
Andy Odeh, the NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, explained that petrol prices would not be uniform nationwide due to differences in logistics and transportation costs. He noted that not all retail outlets participated in the scheme and that customers needed to use the mobile application to identify participating stations. Odeh said the platform allowed the company to track beneficiaries and calculate the total value of the N66-per-litre reduction granted.