NIGER Republic has 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.
This newspaper gathered that a delegation of senior officials of the military junta travelled down to Abuja to meet President Bola Tinubu’s representatives.
At the end of the deliberation, 300 trucks of Premium Motor Spirit were reportedly approved for delivery to the country.
A senior government official aware of the development said Nigeria approved the deal with the hope of using it as a “strategic bargaining tool” in ongoing negotiations with Niger.
According to the official, the delegation explained that Niger had been reliant on fuel from a Chinese refinery.
However, due to issues with the supplier, the refinery was shut down, leaving the country with limited options.
Our correspondents gathered that Niger turned to Nigeria after the fuel shortage problem became critical. However, the details of the arrangement are said to be secret.
“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,” the source added.
Officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited said the deal could have been done by the Presidency, as the national oil firm now operates as a limited liability company.
Similarly, a source at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery declined comments due to diplomatic concerns.
The Presidency also declined comments on the matter.
This newspaper gathered that the fuel crisis in Niger reached alarming proportions last week after a litre of petrol sold for N8,000 in some parts of the country.
Findings by our correspondents in Sokoto State, which shares a border with Niger, showed that the price of petrol varied depending on the distance from Nigeria.
A transborder businessman from Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Usman, said, “There is serious scarcity of fuel in the country. It depends on where one is getting the fuel.
“In Konni, the border town between Nigeria and Niger, you can get a litre at 1,200 CFA, which is about N2,500. If you go to Agadez, the same litre of fuel is 3,000 CFA, equivalent to N7,500 per litre. In Arilit, a local government under Agadez, which is the border town between Niger and Algeria, it is 3,500 CFA, which is about N8,750 when converted to our currency.”
Usman attributed the scarcity to the deteriorating relationship between Nigeria and Niger.
An official of the Nigerian Immigration Service, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some trucks carrying petrol were sighted passing through the border.