Nigerian airlines threaten to halt flights over soaring jet fuel prices

Nigerian airlines will suspend all flight ​operations from April 20, they warned, unless crippling jet fuel prices, which ‌they accused the country's fuel marketers of artificially inflating, are reduced.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria, an industry body grouping around a dozen mainly domestic carriers, wrote to the Major Energies Marketers Association ​of Nigeria on April 14, complaining that jet fuel prices had risen ​by about 270% since late February.

Global oil and fuel prices have surged ⁠since the onset of the Iran war, as the conflict severely hinders shipping through ​the critical Strait of Hormuz.

But in the letter seen by Reuters, AON called the jet ​fuel increase in Africa's most populous nation "astronomical and artificial," saying it far outpaced global crude oil prices.

"Currently, airline revenues are insufficient to cover the cost of fuel alone," it said.
MEMAN did not ​immediately respond to a request for comment.

Soaring jet fuel prices have upended the global aviation industry, ​forcing airlines to raise fares, curb growth plans and rethink forecasts.

AON said that raising ticket prices ‌to ⁠reflect the fuel costs airlines are facing in Nigeria could lead to low passenger numbers, while a shutdown of airline operations would have broader repercussions, hurting banks, costing jobs and worsening insecurity.

Jet fuel typically accounts for 30% to over 40% of African airlines' ​operating costs, compared ​with a global average ⁠of 20% to 25%, according to the African Airlines Association, making them particularly vulnerable to price surges.

Nigeria’s aviation sector consumed about ​2.1 million litres of jet fuel per day last month, ​data from ⁠the country's petroleum products regulator showed.

However, the giant Dangote Petroleum Refinery - Nigeria's sole domestic jet fuel producer - made no deliveries to the domestic market in March, the data showed.

At the ⁠same ​time, data from tanker-tracking firm Kpler showed Nigeria's exports ​of clean petroleum products - gasoline, diesel, kerosene and jet fuel - more than doubling month-on-month in March.
Dangote did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

Nigeria slashes import duties to fight rising cost of living

Nigeria will cut import duties on a range of goods from July 1, in a move aimed at easing living costs and supporting businesses.

Key tariff reductions

The presidency said duties will be lowered on rice, sugar, palm oil, passenger vehicles and construction materials.

Under the new rates, tariffs on passenger vehicles will drop to 40 percent, bulk rice to 47.5 percent, and raw sugar cane to between 55 and 57.5 percent. Palm oil duties will fall to 28.75 percent.

Electric vehicles, mass-transit buses and manufacturing machinery will be fully exempt.

Push to curb inflation

The measures are part of efforts by the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reduce inflation and lower costs for households and businesses.

Inflation eased to 15.06 percent in February from a peak of about 33 percent in December 2024, but remains high.

Rising external pressures

Officials say global factors, including the Iran war, are adding pressure through higher fuel prices.

Finance Minister Wale Edun said Nigeria will seek support at meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Petrol prices have risen by more than 50 percent, increasing costs for transport and businesses.

Africa News

Nigeria becomes net petrol exporter for first time in decades as Dangote refinery scales up

Nigeria has become a net exporter of petrol for the first time in decades, marking a turning point for a country long defined by its dependence on imported fuel despite being Africa’s largest oil producer.

The shift, recorded in March 2026, was driven by rising output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which is rapidly transforming the country’s downstream oil market.

Data from energy intelligence firm Kpler shows Nigeria exported about 44,000 barrels per day (bpd) of petrol during the month, slightly exceeding imports and leaving a net surplus of roughly 3,000 bpd.

It is a symbolic and economic milestone. For years, Nigeria relied heavily on fuel imports due to underperforming state refineries, a system that drained foreign exchange and exposed the economy to global supply shocks.

That dynamic is now changing.

Crude supply to the 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery rose to about 565,000 bpd in March, one of its highest levels since operations began in late 2023. At the same time, petrol imports fell sharply to around 41,000 bpd, the lowest level ever recorded.

The figures point to a rapid replacement of imports with domestic refining.

Beyond reducing import dependence, the refinery is also expanding Nigeria’s reach into new markets. In March, it shipped a 317,000-barrel cargo of petrol to Mozambique, its first export to East Africa, with another cargo expected in April.

The move signals a broader shift in African fuel trade flows. East African countries, traditionally reliant on suppliers from the Middle East, are increasingly diversifying sources amid persistent global supply disruptions and shipping risks.

For Nigeria, the implications are significant.

Exporting petrol could help boost foreign exchange earnings while reducing demand for dollars previously used for imports, a key factor behind pressure on the naira in recent years. It also strengthens energy security by anchoring supply within the country.

At a global level, Nigeria’s entry into the export market could intensify competition, particularly in Europe where petrol supply is already ample.

The development reflects a deeper structural change: Nigeria is beginning to move from exporting crude and importing refined products to processing more of its oil domestically, a long-standing policy goal that has repeatedly failed in the past.

The Dangote refinery sits at the centre of that transition.

Its scale and rising utilisation are already reshaping expectations for the sector, with analysts pointing to potential gains in industrial activity, trade balance, and fiscal stability if output remains strong.

At the same time, the refinery’s owner, Aliko Dangote, is pursuing plans to list the business across multiple African stock exchanges in what could become the continent’s first pan-African initial public offering.

The proposed listing aims to attract investors across different countries and deepen cross-border capital flows, though analysts say execution will depend on regulatory alignment and currency stability.

For now, the export milestone offers the clearest signal yet that Nigeria’s long-troubled downstream oil sector may be entering a new phase, one defined less by scarcity and imports, and more by domestic capacity and regional influence.

By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa

Related story: Dangote refinery hikes exports to ease Africa supply crunch

Nigeria police arrest 33-member gang over church abductions

Nigerian police have arrested a 33-member gang over a November attack in which 38 people were abducted from a church in central Kwara state, police said on Tuesday, as part of a nationwide crackdown on violence.

Federal police spokesperson Anthony Okon Placid said the gang carried out the 18th November attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town and was also responsible for other kidnappings, cattle rustling, and armed robbery across the region.

The 33 suspects were arrested in coordinated raids across Kwara and neighbouring Kogi state following human and technical intelligence, part of a wider operation that has detained 50 suspects since January, Placid said in a statement.

Nigeria has long grappled with insecurity, from mass kidnappings for ransom to banditry and militant attacks. The Eruku assault intensified pressure on the government, already under scrutiny from US President Donald Trump, who had threatened military action over what he calls persecution of Christians.

Placid said the police would charge several suspects soon, while pursuing fleeing gang members and recovering more weapons.

Reuters

Ex-Nigerian oil minister denies taking bribes

A former Nigerian oil minister accused of being treated to luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK in exchange for granting government contracts has denied asking for or taking bribes.

Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, told Southwark Crown Court on Monday that she had "tried to push back on corruption" in a country plagued by it since the days it was a British colony.

Several Nigerian businessmen are alleged to have bankrolled huge spending sprees, including more than £2m at luxury store Harrods and £4.6m on refurbishing homes in London and Buckinghamshire.

But the ex-minister said that the cost of services laid on for her while on official duties was later repaid.

"I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort from these persons and did not abuse my office," Alison-Madueke told the court.

"I always sought to act impartially".

She said money spent on her behalf was reimbursed by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), adding that a service company was set up in London to handle the logistics because the financial structure of the NNPC was in a mess.

"They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs... to allow me to perform the job that I did," she said.

The prosecution's case is based on allegations that Alison-Madueke was given access to a "grand" home in Buckinghamshire, a £2.8 million home in Marylebone, and multi-million pound homes overlooking Regent's Park, and allegedly benefited from renovations valued at £4.6m.

The court heard how she and her extended family spent five days over Christmas 2011 at a house in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, because her ex-husband required hospital treatment and could not fly back to Nigeria.

She said she was not involved in the arrangements for the stay.

A second visit, she said, was over two weeks when she and 10 to 12 officials wrote a book praising the Nigerian president's championing of women.

"I took it upon myself to put together that book to showcase what he did for women," she said.

Alison-Madueke said another property overlooking Regent's Park was used for "discreet" official meetings, while she said another property she is accused of using was "completely gutted" for renovations and unusable when she saw it.

The court had previously heard how Alison-Madueke and her mother stayed in two apartments in St John's Wood with the rent being covered by Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko. He is one of several Nigerian businessman involved in the case who are not on trial.

Alison-Madueke said she had suggested this was much cheaper than continuing to hire £2,000-a-night suites in expensive hotels like the Savoy and Dorchester.

In court on Monday, the former minister said she was not aware at the time that one of her chauffeurs had delivered £100,000 in cash to her, adding that the money had had nothing to do with her.

The court heard how Alison-Madueke had risen quickly through the ranks at Shell, becoming the first senior female executive in its Nigerian operation.

This was despite her not wanting to work for the multinational company because of its treatment of her father, she said, who had once also been a senior employee.

"I found the job uncomfortable to put in mildly, " she said, explaining that her father, who was a tribal leader, had once unsuccessfully taken legal action against Shell "for apartheid practice in West Africa."

She told the court how when she worked at Shell, the company was having big problems dealing with oil spills in the Niger delta area where her family was from. She didn't believe the company had done enough "to make good on the devastation that they had caused".

Asked about concerns with her own security, she said Nigeria was a "very patriarchal society" so to have a "woman sitting at the helm was a major no no."

She added that she was "under dire threats of kidnap" and that members of her family had been seized.

The court also heard how in 2015, Alison-Madueke was elected the first female head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), a group of oil-exporting countries which meets to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.

Alison-Madueke denies five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Also on trial, oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, denies one count of bribery and another count of bribing a foreign public official.

Meanwhile, Alison-Madueke's brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, 69, denies conspiracy to commit bribery.

The trial continues.

BBC

Related story: Ex-Nigeria oil minister in bribery trial spent £2m at Harrods, court hears