…Regional disparities in pump prices highlight systemic access issues and anti-competitive practices in Nigeria’s fuel market.

A drive across Nigeria can yield wildly different petrol prices—from N850 in Lagos to N8890 in remote parts of the North. These discrepancies raise an important question: what’s driving the regional variation in fuel pricing?

The answer lies in logistics, depot access, and, in some cases, anti-competitive behavior. The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) abolished the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, meaning prices now reflect real transport and access costs. However, reports indicate collusion among depot owners and hoarding during transitions in policy.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has flagged cases of uniform depot pricing that do not align with operational costs—a red flag for potential price-fixing.

Consumer rights groups are calling for the NMDPRA to publish real-time depot data, enforce open-access policies, and crack down on hoarding. Transparency in the supply chain, they argue, is key to ensuring consumers aren’t unfairly burdened.