Petrol prices have surged to as high as N1,400 per litre in parts of Nigeria, prompting a fresh wave of transport fare increases that are squeezing household budgets nationwide.
Commuters on the Maiduguri–Kano route are now paying N25,000, up from N20,000, following the latest price hike. Across many routes, fares have risen by between 20% and 40%, with commercial drivers saying they have little choice but to pass on the higher fuel costs to passengers.
Regional Price and Fare Impacts
The north-east has been hit particularly hard. Independent filling stations in Maiduguri are selling petrol at between N1,370 and N1,390 per litre. In Kaduna, the product is retailing around N1,350, while residents in Adamawa are paying between N1,310 and N1,370 depending on the station. In Ilorin, marketers have added between N35 and N85 per litre to previous rates.
In Lagos and Abuja, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) outlets have raised the pump price to N1,300 per litre, up from N1,118 an increase of N182. Cities such as Ibadan and Kano have so far held fares steady, though operators warn they may revise prices if pump costs continue to climb.
Drivers of the Surge
The latest increases come as global crude oil prices remain elevated, with Brent crude crossing the $100 per barrel mark amid renewed tensions in the Middle East. Local marketers have responded by raising ex-depot prices. Dangote Refinery adjusted its own ex-depot rate to N1,215 per litre after returning to naira-denominated sales.
Industry experts attribute the wide price variations to full deregulation, which links local petrol costs directly to international crude benchmarks and the naira exchange rate. The timing of NNPC’s increase is also tied to an ongoing supply disruption at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has halted petrol loading for five consecutive days.
Pressure on Households
For Nigerian consumers, the dual impact of higher transport fares and more expensive fuel for generators and private vehicles is intensifying cost-of-living pressures. With deregulation now fully in effect, any further rise in global oil prices or naira depreciation is likely to translate quickly into higher pump prices and steeper fares.
Analysts caution that additional increases remain possible as long as international crude markets stay under pressure, leaving households and businesses to brace for continued volatility in the weeks ahead.
