The recent surge in fuel prices across Nigeria has sparked widespread frustration and anger among citizens, as they grapple with the escalating cost of living.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL) has once again raised the pump price of petrol, this time from N898 to N1,030 per liter, following its exit as a middleman in the Dangote Refinery fuel purchase deal.
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, fuel prices have skyrocketed from the previous rate of N198 per liter. The president’s decision to remove fuel subsidies, which he deemed a “clog in the wheel of progress,” has led to a series of price hikes, with the latest increase attributed to market forces and the dynamics of a market-regulated pricing model.
Nigerians have taken to social media to express their discontent and frustration with the government’s policies. Many citizens feel that their patience has been stretched to the limit and that the current situation is becoming unacceptable. Some have even resorted to sarcasm, suggesting that the government should “just throw an atomic bomb in the country” to end everyone’s suffering at once.
President Tinubu has defended the fuel price hikes as necessary for the country’s reform and development. In a recent address to Nigerians in Diaspora Organization in China (NIDO China) and the Nigerian community, he emphasized the need to take bold and unprecedented decisions to pave the way for a prosperous future.
However, many Nigerians feel that the government’s actions lack sympathy for the masses and are pushing the poor to the brink. They argue that instead of benefiting from the Dangote Refinery, which receives crude oil in Naira, citizens are being forced to pay even more for fuel.