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By, Isa Abdullahi
Niger Republic has turned to Nigeria for help after being hit by fuel shortage.
YOUNEWS learnt that it may well be a bargaining chip for negotiation, to engage, and invite them back to ECOWAS.
Niger turned to Nigeria after the fuel shortage problem became critical. However, the details of the arrangement are said to be secret.
The West African country reached out to Nigeria despite months of diplomatic tensions and hostile rhetoric.
Sources revealed that a delegation of senior officials of the military junta travelled down to Abuja to meet Federal Government 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.
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.
As at this weekend, the price of petrol varied in Niger Republic, depending on the distance from Nigeria.
“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.”
The scarcity is attributable to the deteriorating relationship between Nigeria and Niger.
And YOUNEWS’ findings revealed that the fuel crisis in Niger may have been self-inflicted after a confrontation between the ruling junta and Chinese oil companies which had long dominated the country’s petroleum sector.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, in an article he published on X, revealed that trouble began in March 2024 when the China National Petroleum Corporation granted the Nigerien government a $400m advance, using future crude oil deliveries as collateral.
The deal was to help Niger cope with crippling economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS following the July 2023 coup in the country.
However, when it was time to repay the debt, the junta was cash strapped.
Instead of negotiating, the military rulers were said to have decided to strong-arm China, slapping an $80bn tax demand on Soraz (Zinder Refinery Company) despite the state-owned Sonidep already owing Soraz a staggering $250bn.
When China refused to provide additional loans, the junta retaliated by expelling Chinese oil executives from the country and seizing Soraz’s bank accounts.
The decision was said to have backfired and led to the collapse of Niger’s petroleum sector.
