Petrol prices in Abuja have surged to between N1,335 and N1,383 per litre at most fuel stations, up from previous rates of N875 to N880, triggering widespread hardship among residents and motorists. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is currently selling PMS at N1,261 per litre, but independent vendors are charging significantly more. This marks over five price increases within a single month, according to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) investigations. Many private and commercial vehicle owners have grounded their vehicles due to the high cost of fuel. Commuters, including civil servants, have been stranded at bus stops as fewer commercial vehicles operate, and those still running have sharply increased fares.
Mr Nuhu Sani, a commercial driver, said operators are forced to raise fares to stay in business, but passengers cannot afford them. Civil servant Mrs Grace Okeke now travels to work only twice a week, saying transport costs have doubled and affected her productivity. Mr Musa Abdullahi noted that higher logistics costs are pushing up prices of goods. Uber driver Mr Wale Johnson said he stopped driving because fuel costs exceed daily earnings. Business owner Mrs Marie Uzor warned that rising transport costs will make food and other items more expensive. Economic analyst Dr Tunde Adebayo stated the fuel surge is inflating the cost of living, urging government intervention.
The real story here isn't just rising fuel prices—it's that Nigerians are being asked to absorb endless economic shocks without structural relief. NNPCL's pricing, now at N1,261 per litre, sets a baseline that private vendors exceed freely, exposing consumers to unregulated market forces. When civil servants like Mrs Grace Okeke cut workdays and drivers like Mr Wale Johnson quit entirely, it signals a collapse in mobility that no appeal to government intervention will quickly fix. This isn't policy failure—it's policy absence.
