Claim: Senator Darius Dillon alleged that since President Joseph Boakai assumed state power, the price of petroleum has never increased.
Verdict: False! Statistics from the Central Bank of Liberia and the Ministry of Commerce show an increase in the price of petroleum under Boakai’s administration.
Full Text
Montserrado County Senator, Darius Dillon, has claimed that the price of petroleum has never increased under the Unity Party government of President Joseph Boakai.
The senator’s statement came while answering the question of “what has changed since President Joseph took on state power in January 2024.”
Senator Dillon made the claim when he appeared as a guest on Tuesday, November 24, 2025, on “OK Conversation” on OK FM.
He claimed 2:16:05 to 2:18:45 of the show.
As of November 25, 2025, the show had 417 comments, 306 likes, and 72 shares up to the time we last reviewed.
DUBAWA decided to conduct a fact-check into the claim as part of a campaign to promote truth in public discourse.
Verification
President Joseph Boakai was sworn in as Liberia’s 26th President in January 2024, following his victory over former President George Weah in a runoff election in 2023.
According to the Central Bank of Liberia’s monthly Economic Review, the price of petroleum went up to US$72.31 per metric ton in December 2024, from US$72.29 per metric ton in the previous month.
Also in January 2025, the price of petroleum increased marginally by 0.6 per cent to US$77.67 per barrel. The increase, according to the Central Bank of Liberia, was based on U.S. sanctions on Iran and Russia.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry was established in 1987 to regulate commodities and trade, and to collect, evaluate, and publish data related to Commerce and Industry.
As part of its responsibility, the Ministry announced a wholesale selling price of US$3.63 for gasoline on January 7, 2025. On February 6, 2025, the wholesale selling price of one gallon of gas increased to US$3.69.
Conclusion
With statistics from the Central Bank of Liberia and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company on the increase in the price of petroleum, the claim made by Montserrado County Senator Darius Dillon is false.