By Ghazali Ibrahim
Many Nigerians woke up to fresh anxiety on Monday following another sharp increase in the price of petrol supplied by the Dangote Refinery, raising fears of higher transport fares and rising costs of basic goods.
The refinery raised its gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from ₦995 to ₦1,175 per litre, an increase of ₦180 for the third time in a week.
The adjustment means filling stations across the country may soon revise their pump prices upward.
For commuters and small business owners already struggling with high living costs, the development signals tougher days ahead.
“I don’t know how we will survive this,” said Musa Ibrahim, a commercial bus driver in Ilorin. “If fuel price goes up again, we will increase transport fare. But passengers are already complaining they can’t afford it.”
Market traders also fear the ripple effects of another petrol price hike.
Increased transportation costs often translate into higher prices for food and other essentials in markets across the country.
“If transporters increase their charges, the goods we buy from farms will become more expensive,” said Aisha Lawal, a vegetable seller in Oja-oba market in Ilorin.
“At the end of the day, it is the ordinary people that suffer.”
Energy analysts say the refinery’s new price could push retail pump prices at filling stations to ₦1,300–₦1,500 per litre depending on distribution costs and location. The increase is also expected to affect logistics, manufacturing and other sectors that depend heavily on fuel.
The latest adjustment is part of a series of recent price increases from the Lagos-based refinery, which has become a key supplier of refined petroleum products in Nigeria since the deregulation of the downstream oil sector.
While industry operators say price changes are influenced by global crude oil prices and exchange rate pressures, many Nigerians worry that the continued rise in fuel costs will worsen inflation and deepen the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
For millions who rely on daily transport and small businesses to survive, the question now is not just about petrol prices but how long they can keep up with the rising cost of living.
