Users Panic As Diesel Price Hits N2,000 In Abuja, Environs

Diesel prices have hit N2,000 in Abuja and its environs, causing panic among users who fear prices may rise further.

Findings showed that diesel sold for between N2,000 and N2,020 per litre across AA Rano, Empire Energy, Ranoil and other filling stations in Abuja and its environs, representing an increase of between N220 and N300 per litre from the previous range of N1,700 to N1,800.

The spike followed a fresh review of prices at wholesale marine loading depots, where operators raised terminal prices to about N1,900 per litre. Depot operators, including Ranoil Delta, Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCO) Warri, Prudent Oghara and Zamson, were said to have reviewed their prices within hours of each other.

Amid the diesel price surge, the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has explained why petrol prices remain high in Nigeria, insisting that the current pump price of N1,350 per litre is still cheaper than in neighbouring countries.

Speaking in an interview aired on Arise TV, Dangote said petrol in neighbouring countries is between 30 and 50 per cent more expensive than in Nigeria, a price gap he said is fuelling cross-border smuggling of the product.

“Expensive is relative. What they need to ask is, what’s the price in the neighbouring countries? There is still a lot of smuggling of the same petrol we are producing to our neighbouring countries because those neighbouring countries are about 30 to 50 per cent more expensive than Nigeria,” he said.

Citing the Niger Republic as an example, Dangote said petrol selling for N1,350 in Nigeria costs between 20 and 25 per cent more in that country.

His comments came days after the Dangote Petroleum Refinery raised its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) gantry price by 6.7 per cent, from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, effective September 12, 2026, citing global market forces. In a memo to customers, the refinery said: “Dear valued customer, please find below the revised DPRP PMS gantry and coastal price, which is effective September 12th, 2026,” and directed customers with existing loading arrangements to return their Automated Truck Certificates (ATCs) for repricing.

Further checks showed that the estimated landing cost of imported diesel had also risen to N1,917.82 per litre, according to the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) report for September 10, 2026, placing imported product N67.82 per litre above the N1,850 gantry price quoted by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, and widening the gap between domestic refinery pricing and the cost of replacement imports.

Findings also showed that while retailers in Abuja were charging above N2,000 per litre, several Lagos depots were still selling below N1,850, a difference that reflects transportation costs, location, margins, supply conditions, and local demand.

A check by our correspondent around Lagos showed that pump prices varied from one filling station to another. At Ardova Plc on Airport Road, diesel sold for N1,920 per litre, while the Conoil filling station at National, along Ikeja, dispensed the product at N1,827 per litre.

At the NIPCO filling station along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, diesel was also selling for N1,920 per litre. A visit to a second filling station on the axis showed that it was not dispensing the product at the time of the check.

The disparity in pump prices across the Lagos axis mirrors the wider national pattern, where marketers still selling from older, cheaper stock have kept prices lower than those replenishing at current depot rates.

Diesel remains a critical energy source for manufacturers, telecommunications companies, logistics operators, hospitals, hotels and small businesses that depend on generators for power, given Nigeria’s unreliable electricity supply. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has repeatedly flagged energy costs as one of the biggest operational challenges facing local industry, warning that the rising burden weakens the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturers.

The Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN) has also warned that the development requires urgent government intervention, describing diesel as a critical source of energy for factories, farms, transportation companies and telecommunications firms.

Checks by our correspondent showed that filling stations across Lagos had adjusted their pump prices in response to the development. At the Dangote-backed MRS filling station in Alapere, Lagos, petrol sold for N1,395 per litre, up from N1,310, while a Mobil station along the same axis sold petrol at N1,385 per litre.