Petrol, Cooking Gas Prices Affected as Tanker Drivers Strike Continues
- Long queues have resurfaced across several filling stations in Lagos due to the continued strike by tanker drivers
- The drivers are protesting what they called harassment and extortion by the Police and Lagos statement government officials
- The tanker drivers warned that if the situation is controlled, it could lead to disruption of service, affecting petrol and cooking gas prices
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
Vehicle owners in parts of Lagos are experiencing worsening petrol queues as the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), an arm of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPEND) continued an indefinite strike.
The strike started on Sunday, February 23, 2025, after the drivers accused the police of extortion and harassment, citing intimidation and illegal levies imposed on them as they transport petrol.
Source: UGC
Tanker driver protest extortion and harassment
NUPENG revealed that despite appeals to security agencies and the Nigerian government, the situation has continued, which forced them to suspend operations.
The strike’s impact became obvious across Lagos on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, as some petrol stations shut down operations and long queues surfaced at filling stations selling fuel.
Legit.ng earlier reported that telecommunication firms raised the alarm on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, regarding the imminent service disruption of telecom services in Lagos and Ogun states due to the lingering strike.
Also, the Nigerian Association of Liquified Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has warned that illegal levies imposed by Lagos state agencies on petroleum product trucks could lead to cooking gas scarcity nationwide.
The association’s president, Abideen Olatubosun, disclosed recently that the continued harassment of truck drivers could disrupt cooking gas distribution.
Tanker drivers boycott Dangote Refinery
BusinessDay reported that tanker drivers have boycotted the Dangote Refinery since February 22, 2025, due to what they called extortion by agencies.
NALPGAM president said the actions could lead to a major shortage of cooking gas if the government does not intervene.
He said cooking gas scarcity is imminent as the Lagos state government has imposed commuting levies on petroleum product trucks.
Tanker drivers: Cooking gas prices to rise
He said that the levies and other activities have led to a halt in loading activities at the Dangote Refinery.
The cooking gas dealers asked the Lagos government, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekeprikpo Ekpo, to intervene urgently.
Source: UGC
Analysts have said the move could lead to a hike in petroleum product prices, especially petrol and cooking gas.
According to them, once there are shortages in the market, the price will change as the few petrol stations still selling fuel could capitalise on the situation.
New petrol prices to emerge in Lagos, other cities
Legit.ng previously reported that petrol scarcity was looming in Lagos and other cities across Nigeria as tanker drivers have halted fuel loading, alleging harassment by Lagos State officials and the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
Also, telecom firms raised alarm over a possible network outage as the strike by petroleum tanker drivers could disrupt the diesel supply.
According to reports, truck drivers could not load on Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23 2025, causing fears of scarcity in Lagos and other states.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng
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