By Ebedi Deborah Orowho
Reports from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) have revealed a low rate of petrol consumption between June 2023 and June 2025, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023. The removal has resulted in the daily volume of petrol depreciating by 28%. Data show that petrol consumption has dropped from 68.353 million litres in June 2023 to 49.277 million litres in June 2025.
There have been several adjustments in the price of petrol since the subsidy removal, thereby causing low patronage and scanty fuel stations across Nigeria. Several station managers have aired their dissatisfaction in interviews carried out by Vanguard.
“The market is not moving well. We used to have three pump attendants, but now we keep only one. We cannot pay salaries for three because the sales are too low,” Ibrahim Gambo, station manager at RYBL Services Limited, Abuja, complained.
However, it has been all good for the retail outlets of petrol. Stations like MRS, NNPC, AA Rano, and AYM Shafa have been experiencing long queues because of their lower petrol prices.
An attendant at an MRS Station expressed her delight, stating, “We are very grateful for the number of customers and the turnover we are getting. I can tell you for certain that things have turned around for us at MRS, compared to the regulated period of the downstream.”
The continuous increase in fuel prices has left many fuel stations empty, resulting in the low rate of petrol consumption in Nigeria. It has also added no less than 1% to the unemployment rate of the country, as many have lost their jobs due to the subsidy removal.
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