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Petrol Prices Drop Below ₦1,000/Litre as NNPC Implements Cuts

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1 year ago

December 21, 2024

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File photo of an attendant dispensing fuel at a filling station.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has cut down prices of Premium Motor Spirit below ₦1,000 per litre.

A statement signed by the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr Joseph Obele on Saturday, said the move was a significant step in response to the competitive impact of deregulation in the downstream sector.

“The price reduction by NNPCL is seen as a response to the competitive impact of deregulation, which has led to increased competition in the downstream sector. The move is expected to spark a price war among oil marketers, ultimately benefiting consumers.

“The company recently reduced the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from ₦1,020 to ₦899 per litre, a move that has been commended by the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN)

“The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has hailed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for responding to the call for affordable Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) prices,” the statement said in part.

The association said a document released by the NNPC commercial department indicated a reduction based on the regional pricing scheme as:

Lagos: ₦899.0

Warri: ₦ 970.0

Oghara: ₦970.0

Port Harcourt: ₦970.0

Calabar: ₦ 970.0

According to the National President of PETROAN, Dr. Billy Gillis Hary, the price reduction is a welcome development that will bring relief to motorists and Nigerians during the holiday season.

“The reduction in PMS price by NNPCL is a demonstration of the company’s commitment to making petroleum products more affordable for Nigerians,” Dr. Hary said. “We commend NNPCL for responding to our call for affordable PMS prices.”

“The benefits of the price reduction to consumers include:- Reduced transportation costs: With lower PMS prices, motorists will spend less on fuel, leading to increased disposable income, Increased economic activity: Lower fuel prices will stimulate economic growth by reducing production costs and increasing demand for goods and services, – Improved standard of living: “The price reduction will lead to a decrease in the cost of living, enabling Nigerians to afford basic necessities and enjoy a better quality of life.”

Dr Hary also commended Dangote Refinery for its earlier price reduction, which he said had helped to stimulate competition in the downstream sector.

DR Billy hinted at a report submitted by PETROAN’s technical pricing team, which highlights the pros and cons of competitive pricing.

The report noted that competitive pricing allows companies to maintain an advantage by strategically setting prices.

“This approach helps businesses understand their market position, attract new customers, and boost sales.”

However, the report also warned that competitive pricing can lead to compromised product quality. Therefore, PETROAN is calling on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ensure compliance with quality assurance standards.

“The Zonal leaderships of PETROAN and state Executive Councils across the 36 states of the federation have expressed optimism that the recent price reduction by NNPC will bring relief and put smiles on the faces of Nigerians at various retail outlets nationwide.

“This optimism stems from the fact that the price reduction will have a ripple effect on the economy, leading to reduced transportation costs, increased economic activity, and an improved standard of living for Nigerians.”

The Zonal chairman of Eastern Zone, High Chief Sunny Nkpe speaking on behalf of the Zonal and state leadership said, as the price reduction takes effect, PETROAN zonal and its state Executive Councils will continue to monitor the situation, ensuring that the benefits of the price reduction are passed on to the end-users, and that the overall downstream sector remains stable and conducive for business.

Dr Joseph Obele, National Public Relations Officer of PETROAN, expressed optimism that PMS prices will drop further before the end of January 2025, given the global decline in crude oil prices and the naira’s recent gain against the dollar.

Dr Obele described the trend as a price war while he emphasized that the price reduction by Dangote Refinery and NNPCL demonstrates the benefits of competition and advocates for the immediate privatization of government-owned refineries.

Related Topics:Fuel NNPCL PETROAN Petrol Price

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International News

Israel Says It had Struck Two Naval Missile Production Sites In Tehran

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22 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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The Israeli military announced on Wednesday it had struck two naval cruise missile production facilities operating under Iran’s ministry of defence in Tehran.

“In recent days, the Israeli air force acting on IDF intelligence struck two key naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran,” the military said.

It said the facilities were used to “develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles, which are capable of rapidly destroying targets at sea and on land”.

The strikes “represent another step in deepening the damage done to the regime’s military production infrastructure”, the military added.

Last week, the military announced its fighter jets had struck several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including vessels equipped with anti-submarine missiles.

AFP

International News

2025 ‘Deadliest Year’ Yet For Red Sea Migrants, UN Reports 922 Deaths

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22 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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The number of migrants who died on the “Eastern Route” from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula doubled to a record high of 922 last year, the UN migration agency said Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of migrants from Ethiopia, Somalia and neighbouring countries take the route across the Red Sea each year, mostly from Djibouti to Yemen, in search of work as labourers or domestic workers in wealthy Gulf countries.

“2025 was the deadliest year ever recorded on the Eastern migration route… with 922 people dead or missing — double the number from the previous year,” Tanja Pacifico, head of mission for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Djibouti, told AFP.

The majority of victims were from Ethiopia, the second most-populous country in Africa with more than 130 million people. It is plagued by multiple internal conflicts and deep poverty.

“IOM remains fully committed to working alongside the government of Djibouti to promote safe and dignified migration pathways, in order to prevent further tragedies,” said Pacifico.

Many migrants who cross the Red Sea find themselves stuck in Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, which has been embroiled in a civil war for nearly a decade, and some even choose to return.

Rapid economic growth in Ethiopia — estimated to reach around 10 percent in 2026 — could encourage less migration, IOM says, but that is mitigated by high inflation, also around 10 percent in February.

AFP

International News

Denmark Faces Lengthy Negotiations To Form A Government

Published

22 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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Election workers recount ballots in the Marselisborg Hallen in Aarhus, Denmark on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Mikkel Berg Pedersen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) /

Denmark’s political parties began the thorny process of forming a government Wednesday, with the centrist Moderates as kingmaker after the prime minister’s Social Democrats scraped through a general election without a majority.

Greenland’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party member Naaja Nathanielsen (C) looks on in a polling station in Nuuk, on March 24, 2026, during the parliamentary election in Denmark (Photo by Oscar Scott Carl / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT

Danes were braced for a weeks-long process as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen seeks to consolidate power in the deeply splintered parliament after Tuesday’s snap vote.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrives at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen to inform the king about the election result one day after the parliamentary election on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Martin Sylvest / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

A left-wing bloc made up of five parties, including Frederiksen’s Social Democrats, won 84 seats; the right-wing and far-right claimed 77; and the Moderates won 14 in the election.

The Social Democrats posted their worst election score since 1903—though they remained Denmark’s largest single party, with 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament.

Chairwoman of the Social Democrats Mette Frederiksen attends a party leader debate hosted by Publicists’ Club one the day after the parliamentary election at the Confederation of Danish Industry’s building in Copenhagen on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

Frederiksen formally tendered her coalition government’s resignation to King Frederik on Wednesday, telling a televised party leader debate she wanted to try to form a centre-left government.

“The most realistic scenario” would be a coalition with the five parties on the left and the centre-right Moderates, she said.

But it is not certain the Moderates, led by Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, would agree to that.

“I don’t believe that Denmark needs policies aligned with” the leftist Red-Green Alliance, Lokke said.

Chairman of the Moderates Lars Loekke Rasmussen attends a party leader debate at the Confederation of Danish Industry’s building in Copenhagen on March 25, 2026, the day after the parliamentary election. (Photo by Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT

King Frederik was to meet party leaders individually later Wednesday to determine who should be asked to try to form the next government.

“My expectation is that Mette Frederiksen will become prime minister,” University of Copenhagen political science professor Rune Stubager told reporters.

“But I don’t know with the backing of which parties, like the left wing or the right wing,” he said.

He noted that Lokke, a two-time former prime minister, would likely vie for the position of prime minister, even though he has adamantly denied any interest in the job.

“Danes want me and not another prime minister. I still have the backing to be able to continue on behalf of the Danish people,” Frederiksen insisted during the debate.

Frederiksen has for the past four years headed an unprecedented left-right coalition made up of her Social Democrats, the Moderates and the Liberals.

The Liberals have refused to continue in a Social Democrat-led government.

‘Too Hard To Say’

Danes are now prepared for long negotiations. After the 2022 election, the talks lasted six weeks.

“It’s a long process, which means the government won’t be formed and it will be quite difficult to pass laws during this period,” lamented Jesper Dyrfjeld Christensen, a 54-year-old engineer.

“It’s really too hard to say who will be part of the coalition,” admitted Stubager.

With 12 parties in parliament, the political landscape is jagged — though Denmark is accustomed to minority governments.

“To some extent, this is the way Danish politics works. You have a minority government in the centre which forms a majority with the left on some issues and with the right on others,” he explained.

The negotiations are expected to focus on economic and pension issues, pollution and immigration, he said.

The traditional far-right party, the Danish People’s Party, which has heavily influenced policy since the late 1990s but slumped in the 2022 election, more than tripled its result to 9.1 per cent of votes.

The three anti-immigration groups together garnered 17 per cent, a stable figure for Denmark’s populist right over the past two decades.

“If negotiations take place in the left-wing bloc with the moderates, then there will be more focus on green issues than on immigration,” Stubager said.

“But if, instead, the Moderates negotiate with the parties on the right, then the central issue will be immigration.”

Four seats in Denmark’s parliament are held by its two autonomous territories — two for Greenland and two for the Faroe Islands.

While the Faroese renewed the mandates of the two outgoing lawmakers, with one for each bloc, Greenland overwhelmingly backed the left-wing party and Naleraq, which advocates rapid independence from Denmark.

AFP