NNPCL Raises Fuel Price Again in Less Than 24 Hours as Dangote Refinery Hikes Gantry Cost
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for the second time in less than 24 hours. The adjustment follows another price hike from the Dangote Refinery, which recently raised its gantry price.
Across parts of Abuja and nearby areas, NNPCL stations on Sunday pushed their pump price from ₦967 to ₦1,082 per litre. That is a ₦115 jump in a single move.
For many motorists, the increase came almost without warning. You leave home with one price in mind, and by the time you reach the filling station, it has changed.
The situation traces back to the refinery. The 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote facility raised its gantry price by ₦121 per litre, marking its second increase in four days. Just days earlier, the refinery had already added ₦100 per litre to the price of petrol supplied to marketers.
Six days ago petrol was N774 per litre.
— Toby (@TomolaGroup) March 8, 2026
Today it is N1000.
Dangote has suspended loading three times in one week. Every suspension is followed by a price hike.
The next one is likely Monday.
This is not a refinery problem. This is a war in the Middle East reaching your fuel…
The company says the reason is simple, at least on paper: crude oil prices are rising again. Global markets have been unsettled by tensions linked to the Iran–US–Israel conflict in the Middle East, pushing crude above $90 per barrel.
That pressure travels down the chain, from crude, to refinery, to depot, and eventually to the pump where everyday Nigerians buy fuel.
But the adjustments didn’t start on Sunday. On Saturday alone, prices had already shifted twice. First, there was a slight review from N960 to N967 per litre, a ₦7 increase. Before that, another small change had moved prices from N960 upward.
When all the recent revisions are added together, NNPCL retail outlets have raised petrol prices by about ₦207 per litre within a week.
The changes are already visible across several stations in Abuja, along Kubwa Expressway, Gwarimpa, Wuse Zone 6, Wuse Zone 4, and Lifecamp.
Other marketers are not holding back either. Stations operated by MRS Oil Nigeria, AA Rano Nigeria Limited, and Empire Energy Nigeria have also adjusted their pump prices. In many cases, petrol now sells between ₦1,092 and ₦1,150 per litre, compared with the ₦960 to ₦980 range just days ago.
Industry players say the volatility may not stop immediately. According to Billy Gillis‑Harry, the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, the fluctuations are closely tied to global oil market instability.
“The Dangote Refinery gantry petrol price hike and retail price adjustment are due to crude price volatility caused by the Iran–US–Israel conflict affecting the Gulf region,” he said.
Still, he urged regulators in Nigeria’s oil sector to step in and stabilise the situation before the swings become more severe.
For now, though, motorists are left watching the numbers on filling station boards change, sometimes within hours. And each new adjustment quietly reshapes the cost of moving around the country.