Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Motorists seeking to benefit from the Federal Government’s N66 per litre petrol discount must download the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s mobile application and pay digitally, as the reduction is not automatically available to customers paying directly at filling stations, Saturday PUNCH can confirm. Checks at NNPC retail outlets in Abuja on Friday revealed that petrol was still being sold at N1,405 per litre to customers paying at the pumps, while those using the company’s mobile application paid N1,339 per litre. The findings indicate that the government’s petrol price relief initiative, intended to cushion the impact of rising fuel costs on Nigerians, particularly commercial transport operators, remains tied to a digital payment arrangement that could limit its reach.
The development comes as NNPC extended its N66-per-litre discount until October 31, while the company could forgo an estimated N4.62bn in gross revenue if all its average monthly petrol sales qualify for the reduction. At the NNPC mega station along Obasanjo Way, a fuel attendant confirmed that customers could only access the discount through the company’s application. “You can only qualify for the N66 discount if you download the app. You would also make payment via the application. So, it is not yet directly when you come to our pump stations,” the attendant said. “You just download the app and follow the procedure. We are still selling at N1,405, but in the app it is N1,339”. Similar pricing arrangements were observed at other NNPC retail stations across the Federal Capital Territory, suggesting that access to the relief depends on customers’ ability to use the company’s digital payment system.
The discount was initially introduced on October 1 to commemorate Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. However, following an announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, on Thursday, NNPC extended the promotion until October 31. The government said the initiative was intended to provide temporary relief amid rising international crude oil prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East. NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, stated that the measure is customer relief and not a return of fuel subsidy, and that the discount applies only to NNPC Retail outlets.
The financial implications of the discount are significant. Oyedele, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said NNPC Retail supplied about 70 million litres of petrol monthly. Using the prevailing pump price of N1,405 per litre, the volume would generate approximately N98.35bn in gross sales revenue. At the discounted price of N1,339 per litre, the same volume would generate N93.73bn, representing a difference of N4.62bn. The estimate assumes that all 70 million litres qualify for the discount. The actual revenue reduction would depend on the volume purchased through the application and the company’s sales during the promotional period. The figure does not necessarily represent a loss of profit, as NNPC maintains that the discount is being funded from its retail margin.
Oyedele explained that the initiative was originally conceived as a promotional offer to encourage customers to adopt the company’s digital platform. “On 1st of October, they said Nigeria is turning 66. They did an app. They wanted people to adopt it. Promo,” he said. He disclosed that the government had advised NNPC to ensure the reduction did not undermine its financial position by limiting it to the company’s profit margin. He added that the petrol price after the discount remained reflective of market conditions, noting that NNPC purchases its supply from the Dangote refinery and bears its own operating costs. The minister also said the government had encouraged NNPC to prioritise public transport operators and initially limit the intervention to 30 days, subject to a review of international oil prices. He maintained that the discount is not a subsidy and is funded from NNPC Retail’s own margin, not from the Federation Account.
The arrangement has drawn concern from industry stakeholders over its limited reach. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria said the limited number of NNPC retail outlets could restrict the reach of the fuel discount. Its President, Billy Gillis-Harry, noted that over 230 million Nigerians depend on energy to run their economy, and the number of NNPC outlets might not be sufficient to serve the population. PETROAN also urged the Federal Government to allocate 30 per cent of the total volume of discounted petrol to its retail outlets to ensure wider distribution of the intervention, noting that some of its outlets operate in remote locations where NNPC retail outlets are unavailable. The association and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have separately urged President Tinubu to extend the planned fuel price discount to other filling stations across Nigeria, arguing that limiting it to NNPC outlets would undermine its effectiveness.
The political context of the discount is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a second term on the All Progressives Congress platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. Atiku has rejected the 30-day discount as insufficient, questioning what happens on Day 31 and demanding lasting relief. The Obidient Movement and the NDC have also criticised the measure as tokenism and a temporary intervention that does not address the structural causes of high fuel prices.
For motorists, the discount represents a tangible saving of N66 per litre, but only for those who are willing and able to download the NNPC Fuel App and complete their transactions digitally. For commercial transport operators who are meant to be the primary beneficiaries, the digital requirement could pose a barrier, particularly for those unfamiliar with mobile applications or without access to smartphones. For NNPC, the promotion serves a dual purpose: providing temporary relief to consumers while driving adoption of its digital payment platform. Whether the discount achieves its objectives will depend on how many motorists download the app and use it during the promotional period, and whether the relief reaches the public transport operators it was designed to serve. As the attendant at the Obasanjo Way station put it, the discount is available only through the app, and customers paying at the pumps will continue to pay the full price.
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