Nigeria has approved a delivery of 300 petrol trucks to Niger Republic as fuel shortages deepened across the West African nation.
The fuel trucks were approved by Nigeria government after Niger begged for petrol to cushion the effect of the scarcity trying to snowball into civil unrest.
This is coming despite the more than one year diplomatic hostilities between the two neighbors.
Diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Niger became tense after a military putsch headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani toppled elected President Bazoum.
The country subsequently exited ECOWAS alongside Mali and Burkina Faso.
A delegation of senior officials of the military junta travelled down to Abuja to meet Nigerian federal government officials, according to a report by The Punch on Sunday.
A total of 300 trucks were reportedly approved for delivery to Niger after the deliberations.
Nigeria is using this opportunity as a “strategic bargaining tool” in its ongoing discussions with the neighboring nation, a source in Abuja said.
“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,” a source told the newspaper.
The country is hit by fuel shortages, resulting to long queues at petrol stations across the country.
An insider said in Konni, the border town between Nigeria and Niger, a litre sells at 1,200 CFA (N2,500). The same litre of fuel is 3,000 CFA (N7,500) in Agadez. In Arilit, a border town between Niger and Algeria, a litre sells at 3,500 CFA (N8,750).
The fuel crisis in Niger was triggered by confrontation between the Tchiani’s junta and Chinese oil companies operating in the country over $400 million loan advance the country failed to pay back to the Chinese.
In February 2025, Niger reportedly stopped some Nigerians from entering into its cities because they carried ECOWAS passports.
Earlier, General Tchiani had accused Nigeria of planning to destablise the country— an allegation strongly denied by Nigerian security and diplomatic officials.
