The House of Representatives has called on the federal government to reverse the recent hike in petrol and cooking gas prices.
This resolution was reached during plenary on Wednesday following the adoption of a motion co-sponsored by Kingsley Chinda, Aliyu Madaki, and 109 other lawmakers.
On 9th October, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Limited increased the price of petrol across its retail outlets, a move that has sparked public outcry.
While presenting the motion, Madaki lamented that fuel prices had “skyrocketed and continue to do so,” causing an “unsustainable financial burden” on Nigerians. He attributed the hike to the removal of subsidies, global oil price volatility, and naira depreciation.
Madaki stressed that the rising cost of fuel has affected transportation, food, and healthcare, further pushing families into financial hardship.
“Businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, are struggling to manage their operational costs due to increased fuel prices, threatening economic stability and job security,” he said. He warned that failure to address the crisis could lead to social unrest and an increase in crime rates.
However, Sada Soli from Katsina opposed the motion, noting that a joint ad hoc committee of the House and Senate is already investigating the matter.
George Ozodinobi from Anambra warned that the fuel hike had undermined the new N70,000 minimum wage.
“Our people cannot transport their farm produce to the market, and because of that, there is an increase in the prices of food,” Ozodinobi said. He urged the government to review Nigeria’s Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, membership to address the issue.
Following extensive debate, the House adopted the motion and urged the government to stabilise fuel prices through tax cuts, subsidies on cooking gas, and temporary relief measures for low-income households.
Lawmakers also called on the NNPC to expedite the repair of refineries and boost local refining to reduce dependence on imported fuel.
Additionally, they urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to implement policies that would curb inflation.
Meanwhile, the federal government’s meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, on Wednesday over the fuel price hike ended without a resolution.
Speaking after the meeting in Abuja, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information, said discussions were ongoing.
“A lot of things were discussed, but like I said, this is a work in progress, this is something that isn’t a one-off thing, but we have not reached anything that we think that we can tell Nigerians now,” Idris said, adding that the government remains committed to continuous engagement with labour unions.
The meeting, held at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was attended by key ministers and NNPC representatives. Labour leaders, including NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC Deputy President Tommy Okon, were also present. However, no new date for further talks was announced.
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