Despite the global oil market tending to move in its favour, the Profit After Tax (PAT) of national oil major, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) declined from the N481billion in April 2026 to N462 billion in May 2026.

This was detailed in its Monthly report Summary for May 2026.

In the month under review, the NNPC Ltd made N4.335 billion revenue, crashing from the N4.971trillion recorded in the preceding month.

According to the report, the NNPC Ltd paid N4.858 billion for six months statutorily into the federation account, January to May 2026, soaring from the N3.714 trillion paid till April 2026.
It added that 98 percent pipeline availability was recorded in the period under review.

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The report said, “From operational performance to strategic infrastructure delivery and community impact, we present to you some of the key highlights from NNPC Ltd.’s Monthly Report Summary for May 2026.

“The Report covers key performance indicators, including revenue of ₦4,335 billion, profit after tax of ₦462 billion, cumulative statutory payments of ₦4,858 billion for January to May 2026, 98% upstream pipeline availability, strategic operational initiatives, and many more.

“Together, these impressive figures reflect our continued focus on powering progress and delivering value across the energy value chain.”

The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, said the minister has the power to intervene in ensuring consumers are not exploited, but that must be in consultation with stakeholders in the sector.

“The minister of petroleum has the power to intervene in ensuring that Nigerians are treated fairly. The NMDPRA has the power, and so does the FCCPC. However, these decisions to discipline or not to discipline should follow stakeholder practice.

“We have the petroleum stakeholder conference that is being headed by the minister. And I think that this is the time for the minister to convene a meeting of all the stakeholders to unravel what the scenario is and what the situation is and make a decision that is beneficial for Nigerians. That’s what I think we should do,” he said.

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Gillis-Harry maintained that the government should act without the consent of the stakeholders. “They have the right to intervene, but if they do that and the stakeholders have a different view, that will be difficult. And that’s why the minister should mandate a meeting to speak to all stakeholders as fast as possible.

“The minister has the power to intervene in matters like this, and every stakeholder, including the refineries, must comply,” he submitted.

As things stand, premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol currently sells at prices ranging between N1,115 and N1,210, depending on the location.

Fuel marketers in Nigeria have expressed a strong determination to resist any form of meddlesomeness in pricing by the Nigerian government, threatening to shutdown filling stations to drive home their point.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, made the cartel’s position public on Tuesday.

Ukadike was reacting to statements credited to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, on Monday asserting that the government would intervene to stem profiteering and other practices that exploit fuel consumers.

Lokpobiri had asserted that though the era of government-fixed petrol prices was over, deregulation did not mean regulators should abdicate their responsibility to protect consumers.

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The minister bared his mind in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 2026 General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum organised by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

His remarks came amid renewed public concerns over the failure of refiners and importers to lower the gantry prices of petroleum products even as crude prices fell from a high of $120 during the US-Iran war to as low as $72 a barrel.

During the Monday engagement, the oil minister told the NMDPRA to ensure Nigerians are not exploited by fuel marketers. “As part of the requirements of deregulation, prices have to be determined by market forces. The NMDPRA has a unique responsibility, compounded by the PIA, to ensure not only that products are available but also that unnecessary profiteering is stopped.

“Yes, the market is definitely deregulated, but that doesn’t limit deregulation… What is important is the reality of the situation in the industry. Primarily, market forces have to determine prices. But we also have a responsibility as a government to ensure that there is no profiteering. The PIA specifically vested (that power in) government institutions, including the NMDPRA,” Lokpobiri said.

However, the IPMAN spokesman denied allegations of profiteering, saying many marketers are running into losses with the series of reductions carried out lately by local refining giants, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP).

Ukadike said the Federal Government should first investigate the root cause of the current high petrol prices and boost competition by making sure its refineries work, stressing that marketers will set selling prices according to purchase prices and running costs.

He warned, “Marketers will shut down if they try somehow to enforce price control. We are going to shut down our stations nationwide. You can’t be regulating a deregulated market. You can’t tell me how much to sell my product without trying to know how much I bought it.”

Recounting the ordeals of marketers, he said, “We, the independent marketers, are losing money. We bought petrol at a particular rate a few days ago; on our way to our filling stations, there was a reduction. We have been struggling with the price. We have been struggling against financial losses. We are also struggling against stagnation due to low patronage of our products. Because those marketers who are purchasing now are purchasing at a lower price, and they are selling cheaper.

“If you don’t bring down your price, you cannot see buyers. This is the beauty of deregulation. If you cannot compete, you will not survive in the market. And because most of us are trading on bank loans, the bank does not know when the price goes up or goes down. Their interest rate is fixed; their return on investment is fixed. So, you must pay them. This is the situation we find ourselves in.”

Ukadike maintained that the factors of demand and supply should determine price.

“By the time more products come in, you will see that the prices will go down. What we, independent marketers, are asking for is not about regulation or trying to bring price control or trying to force marketers to sell below or trying to force Dangote to sell below its production cost. What we are asking is to open up the various channels, boost importation, and let local refineries start refining. This will push the competition to the peak. With this, prices will drastically go down,” he stated.

He maintained that the Federal Government has to find out the remote cause of the high fuel prices before calling for price control.

“The primary cause of this is that there is no competition. If there should be competition, the refineries will be working. That is where the minister should put his energy to ensure that our local refineries or whatever partnership we have with the Chinese will work. It is not about going to filling stations to check who is selling at higher prices. Do you know how much I bought the fuel for? Can you have a regulated market in a deregulated economy? You can’t be blowing hot and cold at the same time. The PIA must be followed to the letter. If they try to enforce price control, we will shut down,” Ukadike said.