 spent ₦11.85bn on fuel for vehicles and generators in four months.){kind=link}
How MDAs Spend ₦11.8bn on Fuel in Four Months
Nigeria’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) spent ₦11.85bn on fuel for vehicles and generators between January and April 2026, more than double the ₦5.55bn spent in the same period of 2025.
Data from the Open Treasury Portal showed motor vehicle fuel costs rose 108.2%, from ₦3.17bn in early 2025 to ₦6.60bn in 2026. In April alone, MDAs spent ₦2.94bn, compared with ₦1.73bn a year earlier.
Spending on generator fuel also surged, rising 120.3% from ₦2.38bn in 2025 to ₦5.24bn in 2026. April’s generator fuel bill reached ₦2.99bn, more than double the ₦1.37bn spent in April 2025.
Combined, the 2026 budget for vehicle and generator fuel stood at ₦393.18bn, up 73.2% from ₦227.02bn in 2025, though only a small fraction had been executed by April.
Other fuel-related costs also spiked: aircraft fuel rose from ₦702m to ₦8.01bn, sea boat fuel from ₦1.50bn to ₦8.76bn, and other transport equipment fuel from ₦92m to ₦2.25bn. Overall, these categories jumped 715.5% year-on-year.
Maintenance costs followed the same trend, with MDAs spending ₦4.39bn on vehicles, transport equipment, plants and generators in early 2026, up 164% from ₦1.66bn in 2025.
Officials attributed the surge to higher global crude prices, which feed into domestic petrol costs under Nigeria’s deregulated downstream market.
Former Finance Minister Wale Edun said government policy prioritises market-based pricing, ruling out direct intervention except as a last resort.
Industry experts argue rising fuel costs highlight the need for alternatives.
Advocates of electric vehicles and solar-powered generators say the transition is already underway, with EVs offering a five-to-one cost advantage over petrol for long journeys.