The pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in neighbouring Niger Republic have started reducing following the supply of the commodity from Nigeria.
Multiple residents in border communities and insider security sources familiar with the development confirmed that hundreds of petrol tankers have started making their way from Nigeria to Niger Republic.
It was earlier reported that Niger Republic had turned to Nigeria for help after being hit by fuel shortage. The West African country reached out to Nigeria despite months of diplomatic tensions and hostile rhetoric.
The report stated that a delegation of senior officials of the military junta traveled down to Abuja to meet Federal Government representatives. At the end of the deliberation, 300 trucks of PMS were reportedly approved for delivery to the country.
A senior government official had noted that the deal was approved with the hope of using it as a “strategic bargaining tool” in ongoing negotiations with Niger.
The source, who spoke in confidence due to the diplomatic nature of the matter, had said, “We do not want to blow our trumpet. Rather, we want to use it as a bargaining chip for negotiation, as we continue to engage with them to bring them back to ECOWAS.
“Let them get more from us. I am confident that gradually they will come back to ECOWAS because they do not have enough resources to import food to sustain their citizens.”
Commenting on the development on Sunday, multiple residents in border communities and security sources stated that a lot of trucks had been moving petrol from Nigeria to Niger Republic.
The Nigeria Customs Service could not confirm this, stating that it was a diplomatic issue. But insider security sources confirmed it, a development that led to the reduction in the prices of petrol from about N10,000/litre which it sold last week in the Niger Republic to around N5,000/litre on Sunday.
Our correspondent gathered that the fuel situation in the foreign nation was gradually returning to normal.
A resident of Agadez, Faruku Lawali, in a telephone interview on Sunday, said though there were still queues at the filling stations, the situation had improved significantly when compared to what was seen at stations a few days ago.
He commended the Nigerian government for not abandoning the Republic of Niger when it mattered most.
“The situation has improved very well when compared to what we experienced the last few days and weeks. There is an improvement in the supply of the product in the country now. I learned our leader here held a meeting with the Nigerian government which later resulted in the supply of the products to the country.
“The support and supply of fuel has helped us in no small way and we appreciate the government for that, honestly. We the citizens commend and celebrate our neighbour, the people, and the government of Nigeria for their support,” Lawali said.
Also speaking on the matter, Usman Aliyu, a commercial bus driver that operates between Nigeria and Niger Republic, said the improvement really helped him to understand more about the neighboring countries.
“With what Nigeria has done, I just realised that blood is actually thicker than water. The way Nigeria came to our rescue during the fuel crisis in Niger is highly commendable. We really appreciate it.
“A litre of fuel that was sold for about N10,000 or 4,800 CFA, now goes for about 2,000 CFA in the country (Niger Republic). We learned it was after the intervention of the Nigerian government and so we appreciate the Nigerian government,” Aliyu stated.
Commenting on the development, a security officer at the border end of Nigeria in Illela, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, confirmed the movement of petroleum tankers from Nigeria to the Republic of Niger.
The officer said, “There have been movements of petroleum products from here in Nigeria to the Niger Republic.
“I believe it is part of the agreement reached with the government here. They come here with some documents and the appropriate security agents attend to them before their passage to the Niger Republic.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
