Driving used to be a leisure operation; not anymore.
The upload How Rising Petrol Prices Are Changing Nigerians’ Daily Lives appeared initial on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. But now, I drive further to look for for a filling station that sells cheaper fuel,” Funmilayo said.
By September 2026, petrol prices had climbed to amid ₦1,400 and ₦1,500 per litre in parts of the country. Funmilayo now fills her car’s tank alongside regarding 100,000 naira, buying fuel at 1000 naira per litre or additional. He no longer drives for every travel.
For Nigerians like Funmilayo and Salahudeen, driving has become lower on convenience and greater regarding deciding which journeys are worth the price.
A man fills petrol from a container into a car at a station, on a rainy street. Betwixt 2024 and 2026, fuel prices have increased by over 100%. And during the time that switching to audience transport or taking a bike may help lessen the charge of some journeys, these alternatives come using expenses of their own.
As fuel prices persist to change how Nigerians advance around, the effects go beyond what Nigerians settle at filling stations. He’d rather take bikes. In his inaugural resolve, the president announced the prompt removal of the fuel subsidy, which spiked fuel prices across the country. For some, it means fewer visits to family and friends; for others, it means giving up the freedom to drive whenever they demand to. Just days ago, I bought petrol for ₦1,470 per litre.
This sharp lift in prices has contributed to the rising price of living, such as transportation fares and food products, and has affected car owners like Funmilayo, who have to either cut down their trips or at times resort to taking community transport, whose prices have furthermore significantly increased.
Salahudeen Abdulmajeed has stopped driving to little-distance places. The consequence of this is that she has cut down her trips in her condition, and her social interactions have reduced. “There is this co-functioning space I used to go to, but I haven’t been going there a lot given that of fuel. It is increasingly determining where people go, how frequently they leave home and the parts of their everyday lives they can afford to maintain. Extra of overdue, the conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a essential manner for world oil shipments, have pushed world oil prices elevated, adding to the pressure on domestic fuel prices.
“Ahead of now, I never used to settle attention to fuel prices as enduring as the filling station sells quality fuel. Seeing that then, petrol prices in Nigeria have continued to rise, driven by the removal of the fuel subsidy and fluctuations in international crude oil prices. I preserve the fuel now for essential runs like groceries and retain runs, which I now go once every two weeks instead of once every week. He now solely drives to places where, when returning, he would locate it difficult to discover present bikes. I tour my parents now too, once every two weeks instead of every week.”
When President Bola Tinubu assumed the presidency in 2023, his primary matter of shift was the removal of the fuel subsidy. What used to be standard trips to see family, labor beyond the home, or refer to on finish places now request planning nearby the expense of fuel. The outlay of fuel is no longer just a line in the monthly budget. Photo credit: Chukwuebuka Giuseppe/Pexels.
When Funmilayo Obasa started driving in 2024, she spent 50,000 naira monthly to fill her car’s tank, buying fuel at 500 to 600 naira per litre. Read this day!.
Petrol was selling at an standard of concerning ₦238 per litre across Nigeria, according to the Countrywide Bureau of Information (NBS).
Source: How Rising Petrol Prices Are Changing Nigerians’ Daily Lives
