Depots have hiked the pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) after the escalating tension in the Middle East jerked up the prices of crude oil. The rise was also linked to a strike by tanker drivers along the Lekki-Epe corridor in Lagos.

This came as the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Festus Osifo, accused oil marketers of exploiting Nigerians through inflated petrol prices, insisting that the current pump price of PMS should range between N700 and N750 per litre.

According to Petroleumprice.ng, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s petrol price rose from N825 to N840 on Monday. Rainoil’s price surged by N50, from N850 to N900 per litre. It was also reported that Fynefield and Mainland jerked their ex-depot prices to N930 and N920, adding N51 and N63 respectively.

The rise in ex-depot prices is an indication that a litre of fuel might cost close to N1,000 per litre in the coming days.

 The Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, told Newsmen  that the increase could be a result of the rise in crude prices.

However, a depot operator said the price changes could be due to the refusal of tanker drivers to load petrol on Monday because of the N12,500 E-Call Up fee.

The operator, who pleaded not to be mentioned due to a lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, told Newsmen that the issue of price was secondary at the moment, as there was no fuel loading on Monday.

He stated that unless the government settled the crisis arising from the E-Call Up system, Nigeria might witness another fuel scarcity soon.