NNPC Limited has extended its ₦66-per-litre petrol discount until 31 October, while new reporting indicates that motorists paying directly at filling stations may miss out on the offer.
In a report published on Saturday, 10 October, Saturday PUNCH said checks at NNPC outlets in Abuja found that customers needed to use the company’s mobile application and pay digitally to receive the discount. punchng.com
How customers access the discount
According to Saturday PUNCH, customers buying petrol directly at the Abuja stations checked on Friday paid ₦1,405 per litre. Those purchasing through the application paid ₦1,339.
These were prices observed by the newspaper in Abuja, rather than a single price applicable throughout Nigeria.
NNPC’s statement, issued on Friday by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the promotion began on 1 October to mark Nigeria’s 66th independence anniversary and would continue through the end of the month. The company said it did not establish a uniform national pump price. (punchng.com)
Government says retailers will surrender their margin
In a statement published on 9 October, the Presidency said NNPC had agreed to give up its petrol retail profit margin to provide temporary relief, particularly for commercial vehicles.
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the arrangement should not be treated as a restoration of the petrol subsidy removed in May 2023. The government’s explanation is that the reduction comes from the retailer’s margin. (statehouse.gov.ng)
The ₦1,350 proposal is a separate measure.
The government is also negotiating a ₦1,350-per-litre ceiling on petrol’s ex-gantry or landing cost. This concerns the cost before retail sale, rather than a confirmed nationwide price at filling stations.
Under the proposal, refiners and importers would absorb costs above the ceiling temporarily and recover the difference when costs fall. Oyedele said the ceiling would be reviewed monthly. Negotiations do not mean the arrangement has been completed. (statehouse.gov.ng)
Questions remain over wider relief.
In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, the Social Democratic Party and the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement criticised the temporary discount, arguing that it would not resolve underlying fuel-cost pressures. Their claims about electoral motives remain political allegations. (punchng.com)
For consumers, the immediate questions are practical: whether they can access the discount and whether any savings reach passengers through lower transport fares. The announcement alone does not establish that fares or household costs have fallen.
