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The Northern States Christian Elders Forum, NOSCEF, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reverse the latest increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, warning that Nigerians already battling high food and transport costs are being pushed further into economic distress.
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The elders said Nigerians’ patience with worsening living conditions should not be mistaken for acceptance, arguing that another increase in petrol prices would further erode purchasing power and intensify the uncertainty facing households and businesses.
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NOSCEF challenged the Federal Government to explore alternative and sustainable sources of revenue rather than repeatedly transferring the burden of financing government programmes to citizens through higher petroleum prices.
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The forum also asked Tinubu to focus the remaining period of his administration on reducing the cost of living, tackling unemployment and insecurity, rebuilding critical infrastructure and ensuring that citizens’ welfare takes precedence over political calculations ahead of future elections.
September 17, (THEWILL) – VThe Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) has warned President Bola Tinubu against pushing Nigerians beyond their limit through further increases in the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
The forum, in a statement by its Chairman, Elder Sunday Oibe, urged the President to reverse the latest petrol price increase, saying it came at a time when millions of Nigerians were already struggling with rising food prices, transportation costs and other basic household expenses.
NOSCEF said the continued patience of Nigerians in the face of worsening economic conditions should not be interpreted as acceptance of what it described as perpetual hardship.
“The patience of Nigerians should not be mistaken for acceptance of perpetual hardship”, the elders warned.
The latest increase in petrol prices has added fresh pressure to households and businesses already dealing with elevated operating and living costs.
The development followed an upward adjustment in the price of petrol supplied by Dangote Petroleum Refinery to marketers, with the refinery increasing its gantry price from ₦1,265 to ₦1,350 per litre effective September 12, 2026.
The adjustment, representing an ₦85 or 6.7 percent increase, has translated into higher pump prices in several parts of the country, with some filling stations selling petrol at around ₦1,400 and above per litre.
The latest development has renewed concerns over the effect of fuel prices on transportation, food distribution, household expenditure and the cost of doing business.
Reacting to the increase, NOSCEF said the government should be sensitive to the economic realities confronting ordinary Nigerians rather than relying on policies that continuously increase the burden on citizens.
The elders argued that if the Federal Government requires additional revenue to fund its programmes and meet its obligations, it should explore alternative and sustainable sources instead of repeatedly transferring the burden to Nigerians through higher petroleum prices.
“The welfare of Nigerians must come before political calculations about future elections”, the forum said.
NOSCEF urged Tinubu to use the remaining period of his administration to address the immediate challenges confronting citizens, including the rising cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and the decay of critical infrastructure.
The forum said government policies should be designed to restore purchasing power and provide meaningful relief to households rather than deepen the economic pressure on them.
‘Don’t Insulate Tinubu From Nigerians’
The Christian elders also cautioned the President against depending solely on government officials or political supporters who might present a more favourable picture of the economy than the one being experienced by ordinary Nigerians.
“We therefore appeal to President Tinubu not to be insulated from the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians by praise-singers or officials who may present a more favourable picture of the economy”, NOSCEF said.
The forum said its position was based on its direct contact with communities across the country, insisting that its members were experiencing the hardship alongside the people.
“Our members live among the people, worship with them, work with them, and experience their struggles. We cannot pretend not to see what is happening around us”, it said.
According to NOSCEF, the combination of hunger, insecurity, unemployment, infrastructural decay and declining purchasing power had created a profound sense of uncertainty and hopelessness among many Nigerians.
It called for urgent measures to reduce the cost of living, restore household purchasing power and create productive economic opportunities for young Nigerians.
The elders also demanded stronger action against insecurity and faster provision and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure, stressing that the economic challenges confronting Nigerians could not be addressed through petroleum price adjustments alone.
While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration had made efforts in some areas, Oibe said the continuing hardship across the country showed that much more needed to be done.
The forum said the Federal Government must make citizens’ welfare a central consideration in major economic decisions.
“NOSCEF believes that the welfare of Nigerians must come before political calculations about future elections. The government should listen to the cries of citizens and respond with policies that provide meaningful relief”, it added.
The elders said the government must respond to the economic crisis with empathy, urgency and practical measures capable of improving living conditions.
They warned that public patience was not unlimited and should not be interpreted as a willingness to endure continually worsening conditions.
“This is the time for government to demonstrate empathy, listen to the people and take decisive action to prevent further deterioration in the living conditions of citizens. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and the suffering of one Nigerian should concern every responsible leader,” the Forum said.
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Background
The latest petrol price adjustment comes against the backdrop of the continuing transformation of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector following the removal of petrol subsidy by the Tinubu administration in May 2023.
The subsidy removal ended the government’s previous system of subsidising petrol consumption and transferred the responsibility for absorbing changes in petroleum supply costs increasingly to consumers.
Since then, petrol prices have undergone several adjustments, with the changes having significant implications for transportation, food prices, household expenses and business operating costs.
The emergence of locally refined petrol, particularly from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has altered the structure of the domestic market, while changes in crude oil prices, foreign exchange conditions, production and distribution costs have continued to influence pump prices.
For NOSCEF, however, the immediate concern is the impact of the latest increase on citizens already struggling to cope with the cumulative effect of economic pressures.
The forum urged the President to look beyond revenue considerations and ensure that the welfare of ordinary Nigerians remains central to economic policy.
It said continued public patience should not be interpreted as an unlimited willingness to endure worsening living conditions, urging the government to act before economic pressure further erodes citizens’ ability to cope.
The Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) has warned President Bola Tinubu against pushing Nigerians beyond their limit through further increases in the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
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