Motorists Kick As NNPC Limits Fuel Discount To App Users

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Motorists in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states have expressed concern over the requirement to use a mobile application to access the N66-per-litre petrol discount announced by the federal government at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) retail stations.

While welcoming the discount, many motorists who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday said restricting access to the NNPC Fuel App had turned a promised relief into another hurdle for ordinary fuel buyers.

At some NNPC retail outlets in Abuja, motorists paying directly at the pump were charged N1,405 per litre, while those using the application paid N1,339, a difference of N66.

Although the savings are welcome, motorists argued that requiring a smartphone, internet data, registration and digital payment could exclude commercial drivers, tricycle operators and low-income earners who spend a substantial portion of their earnings on fuel.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the 30-day discount on Thursday as part of measures to cushion Nigerians against rising fuel costs.

He said public transport operators would receive priority under the arrangement.

“We are offering a discount on petrol dispensed by NNPC Limited for the next 30 days in the first instance, with priority for public transporters nationwide,” he said.

Oyedele stressed that the initiative was not a return to the petrol subsidy regime abolished in May 2023. Rather, he explained, NNPC Retail would temporarily forgo its retail profit margin and sell petrol at cost.

“So, it’s not a subsidy; the government is just saying we sell to you at cost,” he said.

He added that the federal government would negotiate petrol landing costs and review them monthly as part of efforts to stabilise prices.

However, LEADERSHIP Sunday checks showed that the discount was not automatically applied at the pumps but was available only to customers using the NNPC Fuel App.

Responding to an enquiry by LEADERSHIP Sinday, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the N66-per-litre discount under the Independence Anniversary promotion was the same initiative as the 30-day petrol discount announced by the federal government on October 8, 2026.

Initially scheduled to run from October 1 to 7, the promotion was extended until October 31, 2026.

Odeh said access was restricted to the NNPC Fuel App to “ensure effective control, prevent abuse, and ensure the benefit reaches intended customers”.

He added that the initiative was also intended to encourage wider adoption of the application and improve the customer experience.

Motorists, however, questioned the approach, arguing that a public relief initiative should not depend on an application that some customers might lack the devices, data or network access to use.

At an NNPC mega station along Obasanjo Way in Abuja, a fuel attendant confirmed that the discount was not automatically applied at the pump.

“You can only qualify for the N66 discount if you download the app. You would also make a payment via the application. So, it is not yet direct when you come to our pump stations,” the attendant said.

In Ojodu Berger, Ogun State, a commercial driver, Gbenga Onikoyi, said motorists were yet to enjoy the full benefits of the initiative. Checks at some NNPC retail outlets in the area reportedly showed petrol selling for about N1,400 per litre.

Another motorist, Segun Komolafe, said he could not access the discount because the NNPC station where he intended to buy petrol required customers to transact through the application.

“If the discount is meant for Nigerians, why must everybody be forced to use an app before they can benefit?” he asked. “The government should apply it directly at the pump. Not everyone has a smartphone, and not everyone can afford data.”

In Nasarawa State, motorists also complained that they had yet to see the advertised price reduction at NNPC outlets.

A commercial driver operating along the Abuja–Keffi route, Musa Ibrahim, said he could not access the discount because the station he visited required payment through the application.

“We heard that the government said there is a discount, but when I got to the station, they told me to use the app. I do not have data all the time, and some of us do not even know how to use the app very well,” he said.

Esther Danjuma, a private car owner in Mararaba, described the requirement as unfair to motorists in smaller towns and rural communities.

“If this discount is truly for Nigerians, it should be on the pump. Someone in a village may not have a smartphone or a reliable network connection. The government should not make relief difficult for the same people it says it wants to help,” she said.

A tricycle operator, Yakubu Sani, said petrol remained too expensive despite the announcement.

“Even if they give N66 discount, petrol is still too costly. We want the price to come down properly, not just for one month,” he said.

In Suleja, Niger State, commercial drivers and private motorists also called for the discount to be applied directly at filling-station pumps.

A commercial bus driver plying the Suleja–Bida route, Abubakar Mohammed, said the application requirement could exclude drivers who depended on daily cash earnings.

“Many of us buy fuel with cash after carrying passengers. Asking everybody to download an app and pay online will leave some people out. The discount should be for everybody at the pump,” he said.

Another motorist, Hauwa Yusuf, welcomed the reduction but said it was insufficient given the prevailing price of petrol.

“N66 is something, but it will not solve the problem. If petrol is above N1,300, transport fares will still remain high. The government should reduce the price properly and make it permanent,” she said.

A motorcycle rider, Emeka Obiora, urged NNPC to ensure that the promotion reached outlets outside major cities.

“They announced it on television, but we want to see it here in Niger and in the smaller towns. It should not be only for people in Abuja or Lagos,” he said.

Motorists Question Sustainability Of Discount

In Abuja, a private car owner, Chinedu Bernard, questioned whether the discount was sustainable.

“My concern is whether NNPC can genuinely sell petrol at this price without making a loss. If it buys from Dangote Refinery or imports petrol, the cost cannot simply disappear. Somebody must bear the difference,” he said.

He called on NNPC to clarify whether the reduction would be absorbed through its retail margin or whether public funds would eventually be used to support it.

In Lagos, a commercial driver operating along the Ikotun–Iyana Ipaja route, Dauda Olaitan, said petrol was selling for N1,350 per litre at the station where he bought fuel.

“I bought just now at the filling station at N1,350. It was bought straight from the pump without any issues, but we would appreciate it if the government could bring it down to N1,000 per litre. That will make it much easier for the populace,” he said.

Kolade Oguntoyinbo, a commercial minibus driver operating along the Ikotun–Egbeda route, urged the government to reduce the price further.

“The government should know that Nigerians are suffering, and transport fares going up every day are contributing to the hardship in the country. They can do better by bringing the price lower to N700 or N800,” he said.

An inter-state bus driver, Ibrahim Mukaila, said fuel remained one of the biggest expenses for commercial transport operators, particularly those plying the Lagos–Ibadan route.

“If petrol is sold at N1,300 per litre for one month, it will give drivers some relief. But what happens after the month expires? We do not want a situation where the price comes down today and rises sharply tomorrow,” he said.

A visit to an NNPC filling station along Sango–Ijoko Road in Ota, Ogun State, showed petrol selling at N1,345 per litre. Motorists at the outlet said the price remained too high for ordinary Nigerians.

A tricycle operator who identified himself simply as Kola urged the government to reduce petrol prices substantially to ease transportation and living costs.

Kayode Olaniran, a commercial driver operating a 14-seater bus, also called for a further reduction.

“At N1,350, the price is still high. The government should further reduce it downward,” he said.

Logistics operator Tunde Ajani said competition among NNPC, Dangote Refinery and other marketers should benefit consumers. However, he warned that any reduction should be sustainable and should not place smaller marketers at a disadvantage.

Some motorists questioned the funding arrangement behind the N66 reduction.

A motorist, Mr Adewale, welcomed the discount but called for clarity on its source.

“If the government is paying, Nigerians should know where the money is coming from. We have heard about subsidy removal, so we need to understand whether this is a temporary subsidy or a business decision by NNPC,” he said.

A self-employed motorist, Mrs Grace, said the reduction could make a difference to customers buying larger quantities of petrol but stressed the need for transparency.

“N66 per litre may look small, but it matters when you are buying 30 or 40 litres. That is money you can use for other things,” she said.

“However, I want the government to explain the arrangement clearly. Is NNPC using its own money to reduce the price, or will the cost eventually come back to taxpayers through another channel? Nigerians deserve transparency.”

The Head of Research and Strategy at SAMTL, Dr Patrick Ejumedia, said healthy competition in the downstream petroleum sector could lower fuel prices and ease inflation.

“When there is competition, it can bring down inflation, and that is where the nation will benefit,” he said.

An e-hailing operator, Michael Oyowe, also welcomed the price competition, saying it gave consumers alternatives and should continue to prevent any single player from dictating prices.

The managing director of ECL Asset Management, Charles Fakrogha, said lower petrol prices could reduce transportation costs, ease pressure on consumer prices and lower businesses’ operating expenses.

However, he urged the government and relevant agencies to explain how pump prices were determined and whether further reductions were economically feasible.

Fakrogha said increased domestic refining capacity and stronger competition would be essential to achieving lower and more stable prices, noting that dependence on imported refined products exposed consumers to international market fluctuations.

Meanwhile, the federal government maintained that the initiative was a customer-relief promotion funded through NNPC Retail’s retail margin, rather than a return to the petrol subsidy regime.

It explained that the N66 reduction was deducted from the prevailing pump price at the time of purchase and was not a fixed nationwide price.

Oyedele said the discount would not reduce allocations to the Federation Account because it was funded neither by the Federal Government’s budget nor by the Account.

He explained that a retailer could temporarily reduce or forgo its profit margin and pass the savings to customers, with the retailer bearing the cost. A subsidy, by contrast, involved the government paying part of the price from public revenue.

The administration, he said, had ended the subsidy regime in 2023, adding that it “is not coming back”.

According to Oyedele, NNPC Retail bought petrol from Dangote Refinery and other suppliers at market prices and added its margin to determine the pump price. The discount, therefore, remained market-reflective.

He said NNPC Retail, established more than 20 years ago, was intended to ensure the availability, distribution and affordability of petroleum products and had historically sold fuel at lower prices than other marketers.

Selling the country’s crude oil below market prices, he added, would amount to a subsidy because public revenue would bear the difference.

Oyedele also said the discount was not expected to reduce dividends to the federation, arguing that the lower margin could be offset by increased sales and customer loyalty extending beyond the promotion.

He added that the retail margin accounted for less than five per cent of the pump price, meaning the discount would not significantly widen the price gap with neighbouring countries, where petrol reportedly cost 20 to 40 per cent more, or encourage smuggling.

The Presidency had said on Thursday that NNPC had agreed to suspend its retail profit margin and sell petrol at cost for 30 days.

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