By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
The price of petrol has gone up again in Nigeria, and different fuel stations are selling it at different prices.
The government owned fuel stations, NNPCL, are selling petrol at one of the highest prices, N997 per liter, in Abuja. Some independent fuel stations are selling it even higher, at N1,018 per liter. In other parts of the country, outside of Abuja and Lagos, some fuel stations are selling petrol as high as N1,300 per liter.
This latest increase has made the price of petrol go up by over 355% in just a few months, from N197 per liter in May 2023 to N897 per liter in September 2024. Some fuel stations are still selling petrol at the old price, but many are already selling at the new price. Long queues are still forming at fuel stations, and some are even selling petrol on the black market for as high as N1,500 per liter.
The government has not officially announced the price increase, but a message circulating on social media suggests that the government owned fuel stations have been told to increase the price to N897 per liter. When asked about the price increase, the spokesperson for NNPC said he was not aware of any change.
The price increase has caused criticism from many Nigerians who are already struggling with the high cost of living. The government’s decision to increase the price of petrol again has made things even harder for ordinary people.
