No Fuel After Dark

Imagine finishing a long day's work in Niamey, only to be told you can't buy petrol until morning. That's the new reality for millions in Niger.

In a drastic move that tells you just how bad things have got, the government has slapped an overnight curfew on petrol sales across the entire country.

But as anyone on the ground will tell you, it's a sticking plaster on a much deeper wound.

Taxi Drivers Can't Feed Their Families, and this is where policy hits people.

Take Moussa Idé Boubacar, a taxi driver in Niamey. He told reporters he hasn't been able to make his daily owner payment for two days.

"Normally, we generate revenue of around 20,000 a day, of which 8,000 is for payments, and 12,000 is for fuel. With this shortage, we've had some management issues," he said.

He is not alone. The taxi union, Synctaxi, is furious. Its secretary-general, Ganda Sanda, says the curfew is unworkable.

"To obtain fuel, you need authorisation. The petrol station must be open around the clock," he said. "We are appealing to the governorate and the governor as well to reconsider because it does not suit us."

Sanda added that the transport sector "makes a significant contribution to the country's development" - and right now, that sector is on its knees. Motorists are facing hours-long queues, people can't get to work, and daily life in Niamey is grinding to a halt.

This isn't just about a late-night closure. Niger's fuel crisis has been brewing for over two years.

Niger has oil - a lot of it. Its only refinery, the Société de Raffinage de Zinder (SORAZ), run with China's CNPC, was supposed to make it energy independent. But the refinery can only supply Sonidep with about 25 tanker trucks of petrol a day, when the country needs 50.

The crunch got worse after three things happened:

1. The 2023 Coup: After the July 2023 military takeover, ECOWAS sanctions squeezed the economy.

2. The China Debt Row: In March 2024, CNPC gave Niger a $400 million advance backed by future crude. When repayment got tough, the junta slapped an $80 billion tax demand on SORAZ, despite Sonidep already owing the refinery $250 billion. The refinery shut down, cutting off Niger's main petrol supply.

3. Nigeria Ended Subsidies: For years, cheaper smuggled fuel from Nigeria kept Niger going. When President Bola Tinubu removed Nigeria's fuel subsidy in May 2023, that lifeline collapsed.

The numbers are stark. According to Petroleum Minister Hamadou Tini, the shortfall in premium petrol hit 196.62 million litres in early October alone - already more than the entire shortfall for 2025. The government has now also banned exports of petrol and diesel to keep what little fuel there is inside the country.

Will a Curfew fix it?

In short, no. Experts are calling it a "forced logistical gamble."

Yes, it gives tankers space to unload at night. But it compresses all demand into daylight hours, making queues even longer during the day. And banning jerry cans hits farmers, motorbike riders and remote communities hardest, even though it's meant to stop black-market hoarding.

What Next?

The government says it has an emergency plan:

1. Emergency imports: Buying super petrol from Nigeria and expecting 30 million litres from Algeria within days.

2. Keep the curfew: The 9 pm- 6 am closure stays until supply stabilises.

3. Export ban: Sonidep and SORAZ can only export if there is a proven surplus and with special ministerial authorisation.

Whether that will be enough is another question. For now, the advice in Niamey is simple: fill up early, or don't drive at all.

As reported by cbinewstv.com, we will keep tracking the queues, the prices, and what this means for ordinary Nigeriens.

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