The prices of cooking gas and diesel surged in many parts of the country last month, the National Bureau of Statistics said in its new reports on the products.
This is as the average price at which consumers purchased Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in December reduced compared to its price in November.
The average price paid by consumers for refilling a 5kg cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) increased by 0.12 per cent month-on-month to N1,949.75 in December 2020 from N1,947.47 in November 2020 but reduced by 3.41 percent year-on-year.
According to the report, states with the highest average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder cooking gas were Bauchi (N2,489.12), Borno (N2,396.69) and Adamawa (N2,392.88).
It added that states with the lowest average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for cooking gas were Enugu (N1,563.75), Imo (N1,678.89) and Oyo (N1,691.67).
The price of cooking gas, sold to marketers in the country rose by over 20 per cent in December on the back of rising naira to dollar exchange rate.
The naira plunged on November 30 to N500/dollar at the parallel market, its lowest level in more than three years, from around N462/$1 at the start of the month.
It was gathered that terminal operators and importers increased the price of 20 metric tonnes of LPG to N5.3million on Monday from an average of N4.4million a month ago.
The cost was passed down to consumers at gas stations across the country as some put the price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder at between N4,000 and N4,500.
Marketers said increased global demand pushed up the cost of importing the product into the country amid inadequate local supply.
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Findings by NBS showed that the average price paid by consumers for Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) increased by 0.28 percent month-on-month to N224.37 in December 2020 from to N223.74 in November 2020 but decreased by 2.37 percent year-on-year.
It said states with the highest average price of diesel were Taraba (N266.00), Adamawa (N262.50) and Zamfara (N257.50).
It added that states with the lowest average price of diesel were Kwara (N195.00), Gombe (N197.50) and Osun (N201.09).
Meanwhile, the bureau stated that the average price paid by consumers for premium motor spirit (petrol) decreased month-on-month by 0.94 per cent to N165.70 in December 2020 from N167.27 in November 2020 but increased by 14 percent year-on-year.
According to the data, states with the highest average price of petrol were Abia (N176.19), Kwara (N172.43) and Kebbi (N169.92).
The bureau identified states with the lowest average price of petrol as Kaduna (N155.00), Katsina (N160.25) and Bauchi (N162.57).
