The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has called on the Federal Government to allocate 30 per cent of petrol under its newly introduced 30-day discount scheme to its members to ensure wider distribution across the country.
The association said its extensive network of retail outlets across urban and rural communities would help extend the benefits of the intervention to Nigerians in areas where Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) retail outlets are unavailable.
The Federal Government introduced the petrol discount scheme to reduce transportation costs and ease the cost-of-living burden on Nigerians, with public transport operators identified as priority beneficiaries.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the initiative during a press briefing in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Friday, PETROAN’s National President, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry, commended the government for recognising the importance of transportation costs to the wider economy.
He said lower petrol costs for public transport operators could translate into reduced fares, lower logistics expenses for businesses and cheaper movement of agricultural produce from rural communities to urban markets.
According to the association, transportation costs contribute significantly to the prices of food, manufactured goods and other essential commodities.
PETROAN said reducing these costs could ease inflationary pressures and improve household purchasing power if the savings were passed on to consumers across the supply chain.
The association, however, urged the government to establish clear implementation guidelines, including the discount per litre, eligibility criteria, monitoring mechanisms and distribution channels.
It said the success of the programme should be assessed not only by the volume of petrol sold at discounted rates but also by its actual impact on transport fares, food prices, business operating costs and household spending.
PETROAN also called on the NNPC, transport operators, petroleum marketers and relevant government agencies to cooperate in implementing the scheme.
Beyond the petrol discount programme, the association said its nationwide retail network could support the Federal Government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) initiative.
It argued that using existing retail outlets to expand CNG access could accelerate the adoption of alternative fuels, particularly in underserved communities where access to such options remains limited.
PETROAN said it was willing to support the rollout by leveraging its grassroots presence to improve access to CNG and promote the use of cleaner and potentially more affordable fuel alternatives.
The association urged the Federal Government to evaluate the outcome of the 30-day petrol discount programme and consider further measures to sustain any measurable reductions in transportation costs and inflationary pressures.
It reiterated its commitment to supporting policies aimed at improving fuel affordability, reducing logistics costs and strengthening economic activity across the country.