Motorists buying petrol through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) retail network face the possible loss of a ₦66-per-litre discount from Sunday, November 1, 2026, as the company’s temporary price relief programme is scheduled to end tomorrow Saturday, October 31, 2026.
The expiry could increase the amount paid by customers using the NNPCL Fuel App, although the company had not announced a further extension as of today, October 30, 2026.
NNPCL petrol stations were selling petrol at ₦1,369 per litre in Lagos and ₦1,405 in Abuja as of Wednesday, October 28, according to a report by Legitng published that day.
With the ₦66 reduction, customers paying through the NNPCL Fuel App could purchase petrol at approximately ₦1,303 per litre in Lagos and ₦1,339 in Abuja.
The discount was initially introduced on October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. It was subsequently extended following the Federal Government’s intervention to cushion the impact of rising international crude oil prices on domestic fuel costs.
In a statement dated October 9, NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, confirmed that the company’s retail discount would continue until October 31 across NNPCL Retail stations nationwide.
The announcement followed Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele’s October 8 declaration of a 30-day petrol price relief initiative, with priority given to public transport operators.
NNPCL said the arrangement was a customer relief measure and did not represent a return to the petrol subsidy regime abolished in 2023. It also clarified that the discount applied to its retail outlets and did not establish a uniform pump price across the country.
However, access to the reduction has been tied to the company’s digital payment platform.
In a report published on October 10, Saturday PUNCH found that motorists paying directly at NNPCL retail stations in Abuja were charged ₦1,405 per litre, while customers using the mobile application paid ₦1,339.
The newspaper also reported that NNPCL could forgo an estimated ₦4.62 billion in gross revenue if its average monthly petrol sales of about 70 million litres all qualified for the ₦66 reduction.
The estimate was based on the assumption that the entire monthly sales volume would attract the discount. It does not necessarily represent a loss of profit, as the company said the initiative was funded from its retail margin.
The arrangement has also raised concerns about the reach of the intervention, particularly among commercial drivers and motorists who may not have access to smartphones, reliable internet connections or digital payment facilities.
For households and businesses, the possible end of the discount comes at a time when petrol remains a major component of transportation and operating costs.
The National Bureau of Statistics reported on October 15 that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 14.63% in September from 15.39% in August. However, the moderation in inflation does not mean that the prices of goods and services have returned to previous levels.
Whether NNPCL extends the petrol discount beyond October 31 will determine whether motorists using its retail outlets continue to enjoy the temporary price relief in November.
