*Kerosene price decreases by 2 percent
*Average price for 5kg cooking gas decreased by -1 percent
*Average price for diesel increased by 0.92%
OpeOluwani Akintayo
16 January 2019, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The average price paid by Nigerian consumers for premium motor spirit popularly known as petrol decreased by -15.1% year-on-year and -1.1% month-on-month, to N145.80 in December 2018 from N147.50 in November 2018.
Newly released statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics states that while states with the highest average price were Taraba (N150.27), Gombe (N150.20) & Bayelsa (N150.00), those with the lowest average price were Jigawa (N144.21), Bauchi (N144.20) & Yobe (N143.33).
For kerosene, the average price per litre paid by consumers decreased by 2.54% month-on-month and increased by 0.04% year-on-year to N290.74 in December 2018 from N298.32 in November 2018.
States with the highest average price per litre were Abuja (N355.56), Imo (N332.46), and Enugu (N330.45).
States with the lowest average price were Lagos (N260.78), Taraba (N257.69) and Niger (N257.50)
Similarly, the average price per gallon paid by consumers for kerosene increased by 0.98% month-on-month and 8.72% year-on-year to N1156.41 in December 2018 from N1145.21 in November 2018.
While states with the highest average price per gallon of kerosene were Jigawa (N1342.86), Ekiti (N1377.37) & Zamfara (N1294.44), those with the lowest average price per gallon were Rivers (N1015.63), Niger (N995.00) and Bayelsa (N991.67).
Price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, cooking gas, decreased by -1.53% month-on-month and -9.84% year-on-year to N2,052.79 in December 2018 from N2,084.74 in November 2018.
States with the highest average price were Bauchi & Borno (N2,500.00), Katsina (N2,357.14) and Anambra (N2,330.77).
States with the lowest average price were Enugu (N1,748.46), Gombe (N1,733.33) and Ondo (N1,731.25).
Similarly, the average price for the refilling of a 12.5kg cylinder increased by 2.12% month-on-month and 1.63% year-on-year to N4,332.06 in December 2018 from N4,242.26 in
November 2018.
States with the highest average price were Cross River (N4,846.15), Akwa Ibom & Delta (N4,766.67) and Abia (N4,742.86).
States with the lowest average price were Lagos, (N3,922.22), Oyo (N3,900.00) and Ogun (N3,862.50).
In a statement last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, said it would implement an effective commercial framework that would halt the export of propane and butane which are major components in the production of cooking gas.
The Corporation explained that the move to stop the export of propane and butane which is anchored by the Crude Oil Marketing Division of the Corporation would enable it to boost the supply of LPG to the domestic market thereby leading to a natural downward slide in the price of the product in the country.
On automotive gas oil, also known as diesel, the average price paid by consumers increased by 0.92% month-on-month and 7.25% year-on-year to N221.56 in December 2018 from to N219.54 in November 2018.
States with the highest average price were Anambra (N239.41), Ebonyi (N239.00) and Sokoto
(N236.00), while those with the lowest average price were Bayelsa (N200.00), Bauchi (N207.50) and Plateau (N209.00).