The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and several civil society organisations have accused the Federal Government and the petroleum industry operators of worsening the hardship faced by Nigerians through repeated increases in petrol prices.
They also faulted the government’s regulatory agencies for failing to protect consumers from what they described as exploitation in the downstream petroleum sector.
Reacting to the latest hike in petrol prices across the country, NLC Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, alleged that powerful interests were working against ordinary Nigerians.
“There is a gang-up against the Nigerian masses by the elite, unfortunately with the seeming support of the ruling class,” Onyeka said.
According to him, the increase in fuel prices is difficult to justify, especially as crude oil prices have remained relatively stable and the exchange rate has improved compared to previous months.
“The only justification for increasing petroleum product prices can only be seen from the standpoint of capitalist greed and the benefits of monopoly,” he stated.
Onyeka warned that the dominance of a few major operators in the sector was creating conditions for arbitrary price increases, adding that government regulators had remained “worryingly silent.”
He further argued that Nigeria would continue to face fuel price shocks until local refineries, particularly government-owned facilities, become fully operational.
Backing the NLC’s position, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, also expressed concern over the latest price increase, saying Nigerians were already battling rising transport costs, food inflation and declining purchasing power.
CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stressed that deregulation should not become a cover for exploitation.
“Deregulation cannot mean absence of regulation, transparency or consumer protection,” Vanguard him as saying.
He called on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, and other relevant agencies to investigate the factors behind the latest increase and determine whether anti-competitive practices were involved.
Similarly, ActionAid Nigeria urged the government to intervene by ensuring transparency in fuel pricing and protecting consumers from unfair market practices.
ActionAid Country Director, Dr Andrew Mamedu, noted that petrol price increases quickly affect transportation, food prices, businesses and household incomes.
“Nigerians should not continue to bear unexplained increases in the cost of essential commodities.
“Businesses have a right to make reasonable profits, but citizens also have a right to protection from exploitation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) blamed the latest increase on repeated adjustments to the ex-depot price by Dangote Refinery.
IPMAN National Public Relations Officer, Chinedu Ukadike, said marketers had been forced to adjust pump prices to avoid selling at a loss.
“Every time Dangote increases his price, our price will also rise,” Ukadike said.
According to him, the refinery increased its gantry price from N1,165 per litre to N1,185 and later to N1,200 per litre within a week.
The development has already been reflected in pump prices in Abuja, where several filling stations have raised their rates.
He also questioned the continued importation of petrol at higher prices when locally refined products are available, arguing that stronger support for domestic refining could help stabilise fuel prices and reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
Fuel price hike: NLC, CSOs accuse FG, marketers of exploiting Nigerians