Nigerians are suffering from the double whammy of chronic fuel shortages and price hikes by the national oil company.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which imports Nigeria’s fuel and sells it to private sellers, blamed debt and rising global prices for fuel availability.
Long lines have formed at gas stations across the country, leaving many people stranded. Commuters in Lagos line up at bus stops, but few buses are in service.
Some told the BBC they were forced to travel long distances as public transport fares doubled on some routes.
The NNPC announced on Tuesday that it would increase the price of petrol from 617 naira ($0.40, £0.30) to 897 naira per liter.
Its gas station sells the cheapest fuel in the country, while most other private garages have much higher prices at the pump.
Once the NNPC quotes a price, private sellers also quote a price and in some states like Oyo, Kano and Kaduna, petrol is currently being sold for as high as N1,200 per liter.
Many garages across the country are closed due to running out of fuel, and others are closed due to price adjustments.
In the capital, Abuja, most stores are open, but long lines of desperate drivers wait their turn, with some sleeping overnight in their cars.
Gas stations don’t ration their supply, so you risk wasting your time waiting.
Motorcycle riders in Kano, a major trading hub in northern Nigeria, said they were frustrated. “Most of the petrol stations here in Kano are closed because they want to adjust the pumps to the new prices.
“At certain stations, we were able to get fuel for 950 naira, while other places have already started selling it for 1,200 naira per liter,” Aminu Danyaro told the BBC.
Black market traders who buy fuel from gas stations and sell jerry cans on roadsides at high prices are doing a brisk business in Kano, where traffic is much lighter than usual.
Nigeria’s main trade union organization, the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), says it feels “betrayed” and why it accepted a new minimum wage of 70,000 naira ($44, £34) a month in July. agreed with the government not to raise gasoline prices, which they explained was due to an agreement.
When President Bola Tinubu took office last year, he shocked Nigerians on his first day in office by abolishing subsidies that keep fuel prices low.
The policy, among other things, has sparked the worst economic crisis in a generation, with “10 Days of Anger” protests demanding living wages held across the country last month.
Nigerians are now pinning their hopes on the new private Dangote oil refinery built by one of Africa’s richest men, Aliko Dangote.
On Monday, it was announced to great fanfare that the refinery had begun producing gasoline. This is a milestone for Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest crude oil producer but imports all of its refined fuel.
But it’s unclear how long Nigerians will have to wait for gasoline to become readily available or for prices to drop.
