Residents and motorists in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State are facing renewed pressure from rising fuel costs, with petrol selling for about ₦1,400 per litre at some filling stations in the state.
Checks in Port Harcourt showed that petrol was sold at ₦1,400 per litre at Eternal and Whiz filling stations, while an NNPC outlet in Rumuodomaya dispensed the product at ₦1,385 per litre.
The prices come amid rising petrol costs in parts of Nigeria, where the product has reportedly reached about ₦1,500 per litre in some locations.
The increase has raised transportation costs for motorists and commercial transport operators, who are spending more on fuel to maintain daily operations across Port Harcourt and surrounding communities.
Businesses that depend on road transportation to move workers, goods and supplies are also facing increased operating costs as fuel prices rise.
Industry stakeholders have attributed the recent increase to factors including crude oil prices and costs across the petroleum supply chain.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has continued to call for the faster revival of government-owned refineries, including the Port Harcourt Refinery, arguing that increased domestic refining could reduce the country’s exposure to international oil-price movements.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has said it is considering technical and financial partnership options for the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Preliminary technical studies of the two facilities have reportedly been completed, although no final commercial agreement has been reached.
The development is significant for Rivers State, which hosts Port Harcourt, one of Nigeria’s major petroleum-industry centres, as well as the Port Harcourt Refinery.
However, petrol prices continue to vary from one filling station to another, depending on supply costs, location and individual marketers’ pricing decisions.
As of Sunday, September 27, there was no independently confirmed statewide pump-price survey establishing a new uniform price across Rivers State within the preceding 12 hours.
The latest checks cited therefore indicate pump prices of about ₦1,385 to ₦1,400 per litre at the Port Harcourt outlets visited, rather than a uniform price across the state.
