The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has extended its temporary ₦66-per-litre petrol discount to October 31, 2026, following criticism from private fuel retailers who say the limited number of participating outlets prevents most Nigerian motorists from benefiting from the price reduction.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has urged the Federal Government to extend access to the discount scheme by allocating part of the discounted petrol supply to its members’ filling stations nationwide.
Key Highlights
- NNPC has extended its ₦66-per-litre petrol discount until October 31, 2026.
- The discount was introduced on October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
- NNPC and the Federal Government say the price reduction is funded from NNPC Retail’s commercial margin, not a return to fuel subsidy.
- PETROAN has requested 30 per cent of the discounted petrol allocation for its members.
- The discount is restricted to NNPC Retail outlets, limiting access for motorists in areas with fewer company-owned stations.
- Reports from Abuja indicate that petrol prices at some NNPC stations vary depending on the payment method used.
NNPC Extends Petrol Discount to October 31
NNPC initially introduced the ₦66-per-litre petrol discount on October 1, 2026, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. The offer was originally scheduled to last for one week but was subsequently extended to the end of October.
The company and the Ministry of Finance have maintained that the discount does not represent a return to the petrol subsidy regime abolished in 2023.
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele described the arrangement as a commercial decision, explaining that NNPC Retail purchases petrol at market prices, including supplies from the Dangote Refinery, and gives up part of its retail margin to reduce the price paid by customers.
Under this arrangement, the discount does not establish a uniform national petrol price or reverse Nigeria’s market-based fuel pricing framework.
PETROAN Wants 30% of Discounted Petrol Allocated to Members
The extension has renewed debate over how widely the price reduction can benefit motorists, transport operators and businesses across the country.
PETROAN President Billy Gillis-Harry has argued that NNPC’s retail network is too limited to provide broad access to the discount for a population of more than 230 million people.
The association has formally asked the government to allocate 30 per cent of the discounted petrol volume to its members’ outlets, arguing that private retailers operate across urban centres, rural communities and hard-to-reach locations.
According to figures cited in reports, NNPC operates more than 900 filling stations, compared with approximately 22,681 outlets nationwide. This means the company’s network accounts for only a small proportion of the country’s total filling stations.
PETROAN argues that using private retailers to distribute part of the discounted supply could extend the benefits to more communities, although the actual impact would depend on the allocation terms, supply arrangements and retail prices charged by participating outlets.
Motorists Face Different Prices at NNPC Stations
Despite the extension, access to the discount remains restricted to NNPC Retail outlets, and reports from Abuja indicate that some motorists have continued to pay different prices depending on their method of payment.
In some reported cases, motorists paying cash at the pump were charged around ₦1,405 per litre, while customers using the NNPC Fuel App reportedly accessed petrol at approximately ₦1,339 per litre.
These figures relate to specific reported transactions and should not be interpreted as uniform prices at every NNPC station nationwide.
The reported difference has raised questions about how the discount is being applied and whether customers are receiving the advertised reduction consistently.
Because the offer is limited to participating NNPC outlets, motorists who live far from those stations may have to buy petrol from private retailers at prevailing local prices.
NNPC Says Discount Is Not a Return to Fuel Subsidy
The Federal Government and NNPC have sought to distinguish the temporary price reduction from the former petrol subsidy programme.
Under the arrangement described by Oyedele, NNPC Retail absorbs the discount through its commercial margin rather than relying on a government-funded subsidy.
The distinction is significant because Nigeria ended its longstanding petrol subsidy policy in 2023, shifting towards market-based pricing.
NNPC has also maintained that the discount does not require other retailers to adopt the same price, meaning pump prices can continue to differ according to supply costs, location and individual operators’ pricing decisions.
However, critics of the scheme argue that a discount limited to one retailer’s network offers only partial relief to consumers facing high transportation and operating costs.
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Petrol Prices Remain High Across Nigeria
The discount comes amid elevated petrol prices nationwide, with reported pump prices generally ranging from around ₦1,350 to more than ₦1,450 per litre, depending on location and supplier.
Prices have been influenced by international crude oil market movements, exchange-rate pressures, distribution costs and the effects of deregulation.
The Dangote Refinery has become a major source of domestic petrol supply and periodically adjusts its gantry prices. However, changes in wholesale prices do not necessarily translate into identical pump prices across the country because retailers face different operating and logistics costs.
For households, commercial drivers and businesses that depend on petrol-powered transportation and equipment, even a modest reduction per litre can provide some relief. The scale of that relief, however, depends on how easily consumers can access the discounted product.
NNPC Plans to Expand Its Retail Network
NNPC has also outlined plans to expand its retail operations, including the development of additional smart self-service stations that could combine fuel sales with electric vehicle charging and other services.
The planned expansion could increase the company’s reach over time, but it does not immediately resolve concerns about the limited distribution of the current discount.
PETROAN’s proposal to involve private retailers therefore places the focus on whether the existing scheme can be broadened before the October 31 deadline.
For now, the key questions are whether NNPC will maintain the discount until the announced date, whether its implementation will remain restricted to company-owned outlets, and whether the government will consider PETROAN’s request for a wider distribution arrangement.
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