Organised Labour and prominent Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have collectively accused the Federal Government and petroleum industry operators of deepening the socio-economic distress of Nigerian citizens through unchecked, recurring increases in petrol pump prices.
​The latest round of price adjustments hit filling stations across Abuja and major cities on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Retail outlets operated by NNPC Retail raised rates from N1,250 to N1,270 per litre. TotalEnergies and Bovas adjusted prices upwards from N1,250 and N1,253 to N1,275 per litre, while independent marketers pushed retail rates as high as N1,300 per litre.
​Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Chris Onyeka, severely criticized the market dynamics.
​”There is a gang-up against the Nigerian masses by the elite, unfortunately with the seeming support of the ruling class,” Onyeka warned. “The only justification for increasing petroleum product prices can only be seen from the standpoint of capitalist greed, reaping the benefits of an extortionate monopoly.”
​Onyeka emphasized that the sudden price spikes are unjustifiable given relative global crude oil price stability and mild improvements in exchange-rate conditions. He maintained that relief will remain elusive until state-owned public refineries are restored to functional operation.
​Echoing Labour’s stance during a telephone interview in Abuja on Thursday, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), condemned regulatory authorities, particularly the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for lax oversight.
​”Deregulation must not become another word for exploitation,” Onwubiko declared. “Government cannot hide behind market forces while consumers are systematically squeezed by pricing cartels and unmonitored gantry increases.”
​Offering an industry perspective, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, Public Relations Officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), defended the retail markups.
Ukadike revealed that wholesale gantry prices at major supply points, including the Dangote Refinery, rose three times within seven days, shifting from N1,165 to N1,200 per litre. He noted that independent retailers were forced to raise prices at the pump to cover rising replacement costs.
​Organised Labour and CSOs are now demanding an immediate pricing audit by the NMDPRA and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to enforce transparency across the downstream petroleum value chain.
