For decades, Nigeria’s petrol market presented a paradox. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, the country relied almost entirely on imported refined fuel, often administered through state-mandated price controls and opaque subsidy arrangements. These policies insulated firms from competition, dulled incentives to invest in domestic refining, and periodically created severe shortages. Prices rarely reflected true cost structures; they rose only when policymakers deemed it politically necessary. During this period, cartel-like behaviour emerged, as dominant players coordinated implicitly or explicitly to maintain margins under the cover of regulation. Ordinary Nigerians bore the brunt of this system, facing high and erratic fuel prices, long queues at pumps, and limited alternatives. Subsidies, while intended to protect consumers, encouraged waste and inefficiency, drained fiscal resources, and distorted market signals. In effect, the state replaced market mechanisms, rewarding entrenched inefficiency while leaving households and businesses exposed to supply disruptions and inflationary shocks, reinforcing dependency on imported refined petroleum.