A data released on Friday, February 14, by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has revealed that, on the average, petrol is sold above the official price of N86.50 across all states of the country in January, 2016.
The data, known as Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) Price Watch which details the monthly average prices of a litre of petrol, showed Lagos State with the lowest average price of N91.06 for a litre of petrol, followed by Zamfara State at N91.59.
The disclosure highlights the fact that no state complied with the federal government’s directive which approved the N86.50 and N86 respectively for a litre of petrol for oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) effective January 1, 2016.
The data showed the average selling price of a litre of petrol in Abuja as N99. 60, while it sold for N129.33 on the average in Abia State.
Residents of Ebonyi State paid the highest price of N133.14 for a litre of petrol in the period under review, the NBS data showed.
In the South Western states of Ogun and Ondo states with close proximity to Lagos, the point of petrol import entry, the product was sold for N92.46 and N120.08 respectively.
In oil-rich Rivers and Bayelsa states, petrol sold for N102.50 and N96.13 respectively, the data further showed while it sold for N96.78, N120.67 and N110.50 in the Northern states of Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe states respectively.
