Fact-Check: No, President Tinubu Did Not Mandate Raising Fuel Prices to ₦1,800 in 17 States.

Claim: A viral X (formerly Twitter) post alleges that Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered an increase in fuel price from ₦1,350 to ₦1,800 per litre across 17 states and the FCT, effective April 9, 2026.

Verdict: False

Full Text

An X user with the name Blue Print, on 8th April, 2026, posted, claiming that President Tinubu has increased fuel from ₦1,350 to ₦1,800 in 17 states, including FCT, effective Thursday, April 9, 2026.

The claimant further said that the president directed the NNPCL and all marketers to comply without delay, warning of severe sanctions for non-compliance.

The content of the tweet reads: “BREAKING: President Tinubu increases fuel price from ₦1,350 to ₦1,800 in 17 states, including FCT. Effective Thursday, April 9, 2026, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate increase in fuel price from ₦1,350 to ₦1,800 per litre across 17 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). ” The increase takes immediate effect from Thursday, April 9, 2026.”

The President directed the NNPCL and all marketers to comply without delay, warning of severe sanctions for non-compliance. The move is due to the ongoing war in Iran. Affected states include FCT, Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Oyo, Kaduna, Enugu, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Ogun, Osun, Abia, Imo, Benue, and Plateau. #Tinubuisatyrant #Saynotofuelhike.”

Full Story Background

Already high fuel prices in Nigeria, the aftermath of the removal of subsidies by President Tinubu on May 29, 2023, were attenuated by the ongoing US/Israel-Iran war. Before the war, the ex-depot rate went from N799 to N774 per litre in February 2026 and shifted between N824 and N880 per litre immediately. Since the beginning of the war, fuel prices have gone up swiftly, averagely selling at about N1,200.00 per litre.

Any social media post claiming further increases and discriminatory application of prices ordered by the President will attract attention; more so, it is not within the President’s job description to increase fuel prices. The removal of subsidies brought about a deregulation of prices, and so it was inappropriate to attribute any price increase to the President.

Consequently, NDRFactcheck notices that the post has gained traction with 345 comments, 386 retweets, 654 likes and 105.8k views and has generated reactions from other users — “Who do I believe now? I saw one post yesterday saying it has been reduced, but yours says it has been increased,” and “1800 per litre ke… I still bought 1257 yesterday,” among others.

Therefore, this claim was subjected to verification because it involves a major national economic issue, a fuel price increase, which directly affects millions of Nigerians. Any announcement about petrol price changes can trigger public panic, economic uncertainty, and widespread reactions, making it important to confirm its accuracy.

Screenshot from the X handle

Verification

NDRFactcheck investigation in a publication by the Punch newspaper shows that the price of petrol and diesel was increased by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. According to the report, a senior refinery official verified the news, confirming that the facility changed its prices in reaction to market realities and current global benchmarks for crude oil, increasing the price of diesel by N200 per litre to N1,950, while petrol increased by N75 per litre to N1,275, or roughly 5.02%.

In another publication by ChannelTV on 8th April, 2026, it was reported that the company’s pricing structure, with the gantry price at N1,200 per litre and the coastal price at N1,153 per litre, is still in place, according to a source.

Conclusion

Findings show that the claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered an increase in fuel price to ₦1,800 per litre across 17 states and the FCT is false. Credible media reports instead show that the recent price adjustment came from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which reviewed its prices based on market realities and global crude oil trends, not by presidential order.