Uneven petrol prices, lingering hardship as Zaria residents question NNPC discount

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Residents of Zaria Local Government Area in Kaduna State have expressed dissatisfaction with the impact of the federal government’s petrol price reduction at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) retail stations, saying the intervention has done little to ease the rising cost of living.

In interviews with PREMIUM TIMES Hausa, commercial drivers, motorcycle and tricycle operators, traders and other residents said the reduction had yet to translate into meaningful relief for households and businesses struggling with high transportation costs, expensive food items and declining purchasing power.

While some residents acknowledged the reduction in petrol prices, others complained that the price difference was too small to affect their daily expenses significantly.

Some also questioned whether the relief was being implemented uniformly across filling stations.

The complaints highlight the challenges of translating a temporary reduction in fuel costs into broader economic relief, particularly for low-income households and small businesses that depend heavily on petrol-powered transportation and generators.

For commercial drivers, who spend a significant portion of their daily earnings on petrol, even a modest price reduction can make a difference.

However, Danlami Garba-Dan Kabo, a commercial driver in Zaria, said he has yet to see any meaningful benefit despite buying petrol at an NNPC station in Dakatsalle.

Mr Garba-Dan Kabo said he preferred buying fuel from privately owned filling stations because he saw little difference between their prices and those offered at NNPC outlets.

“The price reduction is supposed to help the poor, but we are yet to benefit from this relief, especially those of us who are drivers,” he said.

He explained that the high cost of petrol had made it increasingly difficult for commercial drivers to earn enough to support their families.

According to him, some drivers could go two or three days without working because they could not afford to operate their vehicles.

“Some drivers have two or three wives and children to cater for, yet they spend two to three days without work because of the high cost of petrol in the country,” he said.

Commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators also said petrol prices remained a major burden on their businesses.

Idris, a commercial motorcycle rider in Zaria, called on the government to further reduce petrol prices, arguing that the existing reduction had not provided enough relief for operators who depend on daily earnings to sustain themselves and their families.

Sanin Mallan, a commercial tricycle operator popularly known as a Keke NAPEP rider, said he regularly bought petrol from NNPC stations because he considered the fuel good quality.

However, he said the price remained high and appealed to the government to introduce further reductions.

Transport operators’ accounts show how fuel prices affect not only petrol buyers but also commuters who depend on commercial vehicles to travel to work, schools, and markets.

Beyond the transport sector, traders in Zaria said the high cost of living had weakened consumer demand, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to sell their goods.

Alhaji Dahiru, a retailer at Sabon Kasuwa market, said high petrol prices contributed to rising commodity prices and reduced his customers’ purchasing power.

He illustrated the pressure by comparing parboiled rice prices over the past five years.

According to him, a tier of parboiled rice that sold for between ₦450 and ₦500 about five years ago later rose to ₦7,500 before dropping to ₦3,500.

He said the price had recently increased again to ₦4,500 per tier, while local rice sold for between ₦3,800 and ₦4,000 per tier.

Mr Dahiru said the high cost of essential commodities had left many customers unable to buy food in the quantities they could previously afford.

He added that on some days, he spent more than 24 hours in his shop without selling a single bag of parboiled rice.

His account reflects the wider pressure facing small retailers when customers cut back on purchases because their incomes cannot keep pace with the prices of essential goods.

Not all residents were dissatisfied with the petrol price reduction.

Hamisu Sani, chairman of a cooperative car wash in Zaria, welcomed the reduction, saying petrol prices at NNPC stations had fallen from ₦1,423 to ₦1,379 per litre.

He expressed hope that the government would sustain policies that improve the economic conditions of low-income earners.

However, Suleman Abba-GT, a mobile phone dealer at PZ in Zaria, said the reduction had not brought the relief many Nigerians needed.

He argued that a meaningful reduction should substantially lower the amount consumers spend on petrol.

“The reduction in petrol prices should be significant enough to make a real difference. For instance, if it costs ₦50,000 to fill your tank, the cost should be reduced to at least ₦40,000 or ₦30,000,” he said.

His position reflects the expectations of consumers who believe a modest reduction in fuel prices may not offset the cumulative increases in transportation, food, and other household expenses.

To examine the implementation of the price reduction, we visited several NNPC and privately owned filling stations in Zaria to check petrol availability and compare prices.

The visits revealed varying pump prices across the stations inspected, raising questions about how far the reduction had been implemented at the time of the visits.

At the former NNPC station at Danmagaji Market, now operated by Eterna, petrol sold for ₦1,410 per litre. Customers, including commercial drivers, tricycle operators, and motorcycle riders, bought fuel there. Some said they considered the petrol good quality.

At Shafa Filling Station near the Kwangila flyover, a staff member, who requested anonymity, said petrol sold for ₦1,430 per litre. He said customers frequently complained about the price and hoped it would be reduced.

At the NNPC station in Randan Kano, Zaria, petrol sold for ₦1,379 per litre. A staff member at the station said he was unaware of the government’s price-reduction arrangement and could not confirm whether the station was selling fuel under the new terms.

At the NNPC station in Silver, Samaru, petrol sold for ₦1,414 per litre.

A staff member there, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he knew about the price-reduction initiative but claimed it had not been fully implemented at the station.

“Some time ago, some people came to the station, took photographs and conducted inspections intending to implement the reduced petrol price. However, the reduction has yet to be implemented at this station,” he said.

However, Samuel Omata, manager of the NNPC station in PZ, Zaria, said his station had implemented the reduced price since 8 October.

Mr Omata explained that customers could access the discount by downloading an application developed by NNPC and transferring money from their bank accounts into its wallet to pay for petrol.

According to him, customers received a discount of ₦66 per litre, which increased with the quantity of petrol purchased.

The differences in prices recorded at the stations visited, along with the varying accounts of implementation, suggest consumers may not have experienced the same level of relief across the outlets inspected.

However, the visits capture prices at the time of reporting and, on their own, do not establish the extent of nationwide compliance with the policy.

The petrol price intervention followed a federal government announcement that NNPC Retail would forgo its retail profit margin and sell petrol at cost for 30 days to cushion Nigerians against rising international crude oil and refined petroleum product prices.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, announced the arrangement, which was backed by the president.

Under the arrangement, NNPC Retail was expected to sell petrol at its landing cost rather than add its usual retail profit margin. For example, if the landing cost were ₦1,300 per litre, the company would sell the product at that price under the stated arrangement.

The Presidency said the intervention was among measures announced by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to mitigate the effects of rising international oil prices on Nigerians, particularly vulnerable households.

The policy was intended to provide temporary relief by reducing the amount consumers paid for petrol at participating NNPC outlets.

However, residents in Zaria point to the limits of a temporary fuel-price intervention when household incomes remain under pressure and food and other essential goods remain expensive.

The residents interviewed said they wanted further reductions in petrol prices and more consistent implementation across filling stations.

Their accounts also point to a broader concern: reducing the pump price of petrol does not automatically translate into lower food prices, cheaper transport fares, or improved household purchasing power.

For residents already struggling to meet basic needs, the intervention’s impact will ultimately depend on the size and duration of the savings, how consistently the policy is implemented, and whether lower fuel costs translate into reduced expenses elsewhere in the economy.

In Zaria, many interviewees said the reduction had yet to make a substantial difference in their daily lives.

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