The Nigeria Democratic Congress has rejected the Federal Government’s decision to offer a 30-day discount on petrol sold through NNPC Limited retail outlets, describing the measure as tokenism and questioning whether the limited number of designated stations can serve a population of more than 200 million Nigerians.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said in a statement issued on Thursday that the temporary discount announced by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, amounted to a “Greek gift” from a government that removed petrol subsidy without adequate consultation or measures to cushion its impact. The NDC questioned what would happen to the millions of Nigerians who lost their jobs and whose businesses collapsed following the subsidy removal, arguing that a 30-day measure could not reverse three years of economic hardship.
The Federal Government had announced that petrol would be sold at cost through NNPC Limited filling stations for an initial period of 30 days, with priority given to public transport operators nationwide. Oyedele explained that the arrangement was not a return to subsidy but a margin discount under which the government would sell the product at cost. He said the government was negotiating a ceiling of ₦1,350 per litre on the ex-gantry or landing cost of petrol to keep prices stable, with refiners and importers absorbing any shortfall when costs rise above the ceiling and recovering it when crude oil prices or the exchange rate become more favourable. The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government had granted a full waiver of taxes and duties on petrol, valued at more than ₦3.3 trillion for the year up to September 30, 2026.
The NDC’s central objection is one of scale and practicality. NNPC Retail operates a network of more than 900 outlets across the country, according to the company’s own disclosures. Spread across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, that represents an average of roughly 25 stations per state, although the actual distribution is far from uniform. The party argued that concentrating discounted petrol sales at these designated outlets could result in congestion and create safety concerns for motorists and other members of the public. The statement questioned whether the arrangement could lead to another stampede at filling stations, a concern that carries particular weight in a country with a history of fatal crowd incidents during fuel scarcity and distribution exercises.
The discount comes amid a broader context of falling global crude oil prices. Dangote Refinery recently reduced its gantry petrol price by ₦25 per litre, from ₦1,350 to ₦1,325, triggering lower retail pump prices at many filling stations across the country. The NNPC subsequently reduced its pump price to ₦1,370 per litre in Abuja, down from between ₦1,420 and ₦1,450, while MRS filling stations also reduced their price from ₦1,395 to ₦1,370 per litre. Despite these reductions, petrol was still selling at between ₦1,370 and ₦1,450 per litre in some locations as of early October 2026, according to market checks conducted in Abuja.
Nigeria’s petrol prices remain comparatively lower than those of several neighbouring and international markets. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said petrol in Nigeria averages about ₦1,430 per litre, compared with ₦1,959 in Cameroon, ₦2,070 in Ghana, ₦2,070 in South Africa, and ₦1,633 in the United States. He argued that Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country with a domestic refinery does not automatically translate to lower pump prices, citing the United States as the world’s highest oil and gas producer with the highest refining capacity yet still recording higher fuel costs per litre.
The NDC’s criticism also extends to the government’s wider economic management. The party alleged that the APC-led administration had failed to reverse the economic difficulties confronting the country and accused it of attempting to reintroduce petrol subsidy through the backdoor. The statement argued that the policy reflected difficulties in managing the economy and that several questions remained unanswered regarding the petrol discount and its implementation.
The dispute carries significant political weight ahead of the 2027 general elections. The NDC has declared its support for its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other party candidates, urging Nigerians to participate in the January 16, 2027 presidential election. The Independent National Electoral Commission had revised the timetable for the general elections, moving the presidential and National Assembly polls from February 20 to January 16, 2027, following the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, has outlined an agriculture-led strategy to tackle poverty and secure Northern support, arguing that the solution to the North’s challenges is not a return to fuel subsidy but investment in the region’s economic potential.
The NDC’s rejection of the petrol discount echoes concerns raised by other opposition voices, including the Obidient Movement, which questioned why the government had waited three years before introducing measures to reduce the burden of high petrol prices. The movement argued that the pains Nigerians endured were never necessary and described them as policy choices, urging citizens not to be swayed by temporary relief ahead of an election.
The Federal Government has maintained that its interventions are aimed at easing the cost of living without returning to a blanket subsidy regime. Oyedele said the government was also pursuing increased cash transfers to vulnerable households, subsidised credit for small businesses and consumers, and a faster rollout of compressed natural gas vehicles. Whether these measures will produce lasting relief for Nigerian households, or whether they amount to what the NDC calls tokenism, remains a question that the coming months and the 2027 election campaign will test.