Nigerians are facing another round of fuel price increases, as the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) — commonly known as petrol — rose sharply at several filling stations in Abuja on Monday, October 6, 2025.
Checks revealed that major outlets, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Retail, Empire Energy, AA Rano, and Shema stations, adjusted their pump prices to between ₦905 and ₦945 per litre.
At Empire Filling Station in Gwarimpa, petrol was sold for as high as ₦945 per litre, making it the most expensive among major stations. Other outlets such as MRS, Emedeb, Ranoil, and Eterna sold fuel between ₦885 and ₦910 per litre.
Reacting to the sudden price increase, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) attributed the hike to supply disruptions caused by the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
IPMAN President Abubakar Maigandi explained that members who received products from Dangote Refinery were still selling between ₦885 and ₦895 per litre, adding that the temporary shortage was driven by panic buying and artificial scarcity.
“The feud between Dangote and PENGASSAN might have led to panic buying. We expect prices to stabilize soon,” Maigandi told DAILY.
Similarly, IPMAN spokesperson Chinedu Ukadike confirmed that the PENGASSAN strike had caused artificial scarcity in Lagos and Abuja, though normal supply was expected to resume with the resolution of the dispute.
Ukadike revealed that depot prices had climbed modestly, with petrol now selling at ₦844 per litre at Dangote Refinery, ₦845 at Ranoil and Aiteo, and ₦850 at NIPCO depots in Lagos State.
The price hike follows the recent two-day strike by PENGASSAN, which protested the mass sacking of Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery. The industrial action was called off after the intervention of the Federal Government, which helped broker a truce between both parties.
Following the agreement, Dangote Refinery commended President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders for their swift mediation that led to the suspension of the strike.
In a related development, Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES31) on Monday, criticised PENGASSAN, asserting that “Nigeria is bigger than any union.”
Responding, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo countered that the country is also “bigger than Dangote Refinery and the Presidency,” emphasizing that the union’s actions were in defense of Nigerian workers’ rights.
