Hike in Pump Price: Major Doom to Nigerian Forest

Oil products are derived from crude oil and they include petrol, diesel, kerosene, natural gas, bitumen. Oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1956 at Oloibiri in the present Bayelsa State, after a century of searching. Over the years, there has been variation in the price of oil products in Nigeria. The upward adjustments of petroleum products have resulted in inflation, high cost of living, and inequitable distribution of income in Nigeria. Between 1978 and 2007, the various Nigerian regimes increased fuel prices a total number of 19 times. Most of the increase occurred in the 1990-2017 period when petroleum products prices were adjusted upwards sometimes twice in one year. The instability of oil products in Nigeria as a result of widespread smuggling and diversion of products from their approved destinations, holding of products in anticipation of an increase in prices and the refineries producing at less than half of their installed capacities, these variation which in most cases is on the increase side has led to deforestation at its peak yet, afforestation Programmes in Nigeria have a relatively short history with just 78 years. Although the different governments, beginning from the pre-independence and post-independence periods have made modest attempts