The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kerosene

  • Kerosene records 25.18% price increase in one year – NBS

    Kerosene records 25.18% price increase in one year – NBS

    The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday, November 21, said the price of the Household Kerosene (HHK) rose by 25.18% in one year.

    Its document tagged: “Household Kerosene (HHK) Price Watch October 2023,” said the price soared from N1,041.05 in October 2022 to N1,303.16 in October 2023.

    The data also noted that on a month-on-month basis, the price from by 0.32% from the N1,299.03 recorded on September 2023.

    NBS said: “The average retail price per litre of Household Kerosene (HHK) paid by consumers in October 2023 was N1,303.16, indicating an increase of 0.32% compared to N1,299.03 recorded in September 2023.

    On a year-on-year basis, the average retail price per litre of the product rose by 25.18% from N1,041.05 in October 2022.”

    The document noted that on state profile analysis, the highest average price per litre in October 2023 was recorded in Adamawa with N1,676.19, followed by Abia with N1,555.21 and Abuja with N1,541.67. On the other hand, the lowest price was recorded in Kwara with N1,034.29, followed by Kebbi with N1,133.33 and Enugu with N1,134.52.

    It added that analysis by zone showed that the South-East recorded the highest average retail price per litre of Household Kerosene with N1,404.49, followed by the North-East with N1,371.03, while the North-West recorded the lowest with N1,221.22.

    NBS said the average retail price per gallon of Household Kerosene paid by consumers in October 2023 was N4,581.89, showing an increase of 4.63% from N4,379.31 in September 2023.

    The document said on a year-on-year basis, this increased by 30.28% from N3,516.87 in October 2022. On state profile analysis, Taraba recorded the highest average retail price per gallon of Household Kerosene with N5,500.00, followed by Lagos with N5,484.38 and Adamawa with N5,214.29.

    On the other hand, according to NBS, Delta recorded the lowest price with N3,108.33, followed by Rivers and Ogun with N3,860.00 and N3,900.00 respectively.

    It also noted that analysis by zone showed that the North-East recorded the highest average retail price per gallon of Household Kerosene with N5,096.83, followed by the North West with N4,773.87, while the South-South recorded the lowest with N4,017.76.

    In a similar document, the NBS said the average retail price for refilling a 5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) increased by 8.89% on a month-on-month basis from N4,189.96 recorded in September 2023 to N4,562.51 in October 2023.

    On a year-on-year basis, according to NBS, this increased by 1.76% from N4,483.75 in October 2022. On state profile analysis, Kano recorded the highest average price for refilling a 5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) with N5,181.43, followed by Adamawa with N5,142.86, and Ogun with N5,093.75.

    The Bureau added that Ebonyi recorded the lowest price with N3,971.43, followed by Osun and Edo with N4,000.00 and N4,025.00 respectively.

    It also noted that analysis by zone showed that the North-West recorded the highest average retail price for refilling a 5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) with N4,738.20, followed by the North-Central with N4,662.62, while the South-East recorded the lowest with N4,088.65.

    NBS said also, the average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) increased by 14.04% on a month-on-month basis from N9,247.40 in September 2023 to N10,545.87 in October 2023.

    On a year-on-year basis, said the Bureau, this rose by 4.93% from N10,050.53 in October 2022.

    It noted that on state profile analysis, Edo recorded the highest average retail price for the refilling of a 12.5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) with N12,536.88, followed by Jigawa with N12,050.00 and Delta with N11,987.50. Conversely, said NBS, the lowest average price was recorded in Zamfara with N9,050.00, followed by Lagos and Oyo with N9,071.05 and N9,407.14 respectively.

    It added that analysis by zone showed that the South-South recorded the highest average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg Cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) with N11,480.60, followed by the North-Central with N10,683.97, while the South-East recorded the lowest price with N9,847.42.

    Meanwhile, NBS also revealed that the average retail price paid by consumers for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) for the month of October 2023 was N630.63, indicating a 222.92% increase when compared to the value recorded in October 2022 (N195.29).

    It said likewise, comparing the average price value with the previous month (.i.e. September 2023), the average retail price increased by 0.71% from N626.21.

    On State profile analysis, according to NBS, Zamfara State had the highest average retail price for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), at N659.38, Gombe and Borno States were next, with N658.33 and N657.27, respectively.

    The Bureau noted that on the other side, Lagos, Oyo and Delta States had the lowest average retail prices for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), at N590.95, N592.19 and N599.38 respectively.

    NBS added that on the Zonal profile, the North-East Zone had the highest average retail price of N644.16, while the South West Zone had the lowest price of N616.81.

    The Bureau said the average retail price of Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) paid by consumers increased by 25.45% on a year-on-year basis from a lower cost of N801.09 per litre recorded in the corresponding month of last year (October 2022) to a higher cost of N1004.98 per litre in October 2023.

    Read Also: Kerosene price rises by 96.76% in 12 months, says NBS

    According to NBS, on a month-on-month basis, an increase of 12.82% was recorded from N890.80 in the preceding month of September to an average of N1004.98 in October 2023.

    The Bureau noted that looking at the variations in the State prices, the top three States with the highest average price of the product in October 2023 were all in the North Central zone of the country, these include Plateau State (N1150.00), Nassarawa State (N1138.00) and Benue State (N1091.67).

    It further said that the least three states with the lowest prices were Rivers State (N824.44), Borno State (N827.27), and Kebbi State (N845.00).

    According to NBS, the Zonal representation of the average price of Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) shows that the North Central Zone recorded the highest price of N1090.69 while North East Zone has the lowest price of N947.32, while considering the zonal analysis.

  • Police confirm death of two kids in Ebonyi kerosene explosion

    The Police Command in Ebonyi yesterday confirmed the death of two children in a kerosene explosion which occurred at Ezzamgbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Loveth Odah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the matter was reported at the Divisional Police Station, Ezzamgbo, by one Mr Chinedu Onwe.

    Odah said that Onwe was in company with one Mrs Christiana Ibili, 34, who suffered severe burns from the explosion, after purchasing the product from Dipro filling station at the  Ezzmagno junction.

    “The police gathered that on reaching her house, one of Ibili’s children poured the kerosene inside a lantern and lit a match-stick which resulted in an explosion with uncontrollable flame.

    “The flame engulfed the whole building, which resulted in the death of Miss Joy Ituma, 5, and Master Joshua Onwe, 6, while Ibili and Mr Uchenna Ituma, 18, sustained severe burns.

    “The children were confirmed dead by a medical doctor at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, while the wounded are receiving treatment at the hospital,” Odah said.

  • NNPC increased product distribution by 29 percent in September – Report 

    NNPC increased product distribution by 29 percent in September – Report 

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) distributed and sold about 1.3 billion litres of petroleum products throughout the country in the month of September, 2017.

    The figure was captured in the September 2017 edition of the monthly NNPC Financial and Operations Report which was released Monday in Abuja.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr.  Ndu Ughamadu made this known in a statement Monday.

    The statement said that the figure shows a 29 per cent increase from the 950.67 million litres posted in the month of August 2017.

    According to the report, products which were distributed and sold by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), the downstream subsidiary of the NNPC comprised of about 1.2billion litres of petrol, 35.58 million litres of kerosene and 86.30 million litres of diesel. While total special products for the month of September 2017 was 9.29 million litres comprising of 7.43 million litres of Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) and other special products of 1.86 million litres.

    The sale of white products (petrol, kerosene and diesel) for the period September 2016 to September 2017 stood at 15.61 billion litres. A further breakdown showed that petrol amounted to 13.65 billion litres and accounts for 87.45 per cent.

    In terms of average daily sales and distribution of petroleum products, the numbers indicated that 42,752, 626 million litres of petroleum were recorded during the period comprising a daily petrol distribution figure of 38,690,970 million litres, 2,876,745 million litres of diesel, 1,185,906 million litres of kerosene and 2,677,995 million litres of special products.

    In terms of revenue generation, PPMC posted a total sales figure of ₦151.42 billion for white products in the month of September 2017 compared to ₦111.36 billion sold in the prior month of August 2017.

    Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period September 2016 to September 2017 stood at ₦1,877.42 billion, where petrol contributed about 85.08% of the total sales with a value of ₦1,596.98 billion.

    The 26th edition of the NNPC Financial and Operations Report also highlighted that the corporation had sustained effective communication with stakeholders through this report via publications on its website and in national dailies.

    This is in line with the corporation’s commitment to becoming more accountable, responsive, and transparent and a FACTI based Organization.

    The September 2017 NNPC Financial and Operations Report is the 26th edition of the series.

     

  • Average price for petrol drops, kerosene increases – NBS

    Average price for petrol drops, kerosene increases – NBS

    The average price paid by consumers for Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) dropped by 1.2 per cent year-on-year, the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ), has said.

    According to a report on the NBS website, the Bureau also listed states with the highest and lowest average price of petrol in comparison with the approved government price of N145.

    “The average price paid by consumers for PMS decreased by 1.2 per cent year-on-year and increased by 0.1 per cent month-on-month to N144.5 in September 2017 from N144.4 in August 2017.

    “States with the highest average price of PMS were Yobe N149.7, Bayelsa N147.1 and Taraba N146.1, while states with the lowest average price of petrol were Abuja N142, Osun N142.8 and Ondo N142.9,’’ the NBS said.

    On Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), the Bureau said the “average price per litre paid by consumers for kerosene increased by 17.28 per cent month-on-month.

    “It decreased by -8.38 per cent year-on-year to N264.48 in September, 2017 from N225.52 in August, 2017.

    “States with the highest average price per litre of kerosene were Plateau N316.67, Yobe N294.44 and Kaduna N294.12.

    “States with the lowest average price per litre of kerosene were Abia N240.56, Edo N240.00 and Ekiti N233.33,’’ the NBS said.

    NAN

  • Why kerosene remains expensive, by IPMAN

    Why kerosene remains expensive, by IPMAN

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said household cooking fuel, Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), remains expensive because only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is responsible for its availability.

    While the state-run oil firm supplies kerosene from the local refineries, it remains the sole importer of the product.

    A litre of kerosene, which is used by the poor, goes for between N170 and N230, depending on the filling station it is bought from. The government has fixed its price at N50 per litre.

    IPMAN’s National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, said the oil firm could afford to sell the product at a lower price than other marketers that still depend on it.

    In a telephone interview at the weekend, Maigandi added that since NNPC has this monopoly of the kerosene business, some of its officials at the depots and refineries take advantage of it to demand gratification before loading IPMAN members, who ironically depend on the NNPC for the product.

    Maigandi lamented that IPMAN is also finding it difficult to access foreign exchange for the importation of kerosene and other products.

    “Kerosene is still on the high side because of the corruption in NNPC’s depots and refineries. Unfortunately, this still happens because it is only the NNPC that has the resources to bring the kerosene into the country.

    “But instead of giving the marketers without underhand dealing, they collect money before they give you allocation.

    “Marketers cannot import the kerosene because of its high rate. If you import it since NNPC has its own products there will be competition. If you import they will be selling it at a lower rate and you will lose,” he added.

  • NSCDC destroys impounded fuel, diesel, kerosene

    NSCDC destroys impounded fuel, diesel, kerosene

    Thousands of litres of illegally-refined petroleum products were at the weekend destroyed in Bayelsa State by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    The products consisting of diesel, fuel and kerosene, seized from oil thieves by the anti-vandal team of the NSCDC, were burnt at a designated area in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Suspected oil thieves and vandals were reportedly transporting them in sacks and nylon bags to an unknown destination when they were intercepted by the team.

    A state Deputy Commandant of NSCDC, Chikere Isidoh, who conducted the destruction, said the suspects on sighting the operatives of NSCDC along Ogbia axis of the state abandoned the products and fled into the bush.

    Isidoh said the seized substances were loaded in over 60 bags with each bag containing 60 litres.

    He said the command took the action as part of the federal government’s war against oil theft, vandalism and illegal refining of petroleum products.

    He said the corps would not spare anybody caught for illegal oil deals, adding suspects when apprehended with their products must face the wrath of the law.

    Isidoh said: “We are destroying some illegally-refined petroleum products impounded by our anti-vandal unit.

    “They were impounded while on routine patrol within Ogbia axis. Some of them are illegally refined kerosene, diesel and petrol.

     

    “They were loaded in about 60 bags and each of them is 60 litres. We have approximately 4000 litres.

    “We are destroying them to let the public know that it is against the federal government rule for anybody to embark on illegal processing of petroleum products.

    “And by destroying it we are discouraging persons engaged in this kind of activities so that they will desist from doing it. Any time we catch them we will impound their products and prosecute them.”

    The deputy commandant also noted that the corps was not in the business of selling products seized from vandals.

    He said they would never engage in any practice that could jeopardise their assignments adding that the command maintained records of seized products.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Govt to replace kerosene with gas, says NNPC boss

    The Federal Government is planning to make liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) the primary domestic fuel for cooking.

    The aim is to de-emphasise the use of firewood and kerosene and reduce the health risks of the two traditional sources of cooking.

    The government is relying on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NNLG) to achieve this goal.

    In a statement, NNPC’s Group Managing Director Dr Maikanti Baru said the need to replace firewood and kerosene with LPG was imperative to reduce health hazards and death.

    The corporation, he said, would  leave no stone unturned in increasing the use of cooking gas by individuals and industrial concerns.

    He said Indonesia had succeeded in kerosene substitution, stressing that NNPC is looking forward to cooperating with Indonesia to achieve a similar feat.

    Baru said: “The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will also like to partner with Indonesia and other countries in the area of bio-fuels production in order to diversify the nation’s energy mix for growth. Already, the Corporation has launched a campaign on deforestation  to reduce tree felling and its attendant depletion of the ozone layer.”

    At a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, NLNG’s Managing Director, Mr. Tony Attah, said the company was planning to increase LPG to increase the product’s accessibility.

    He said Nigeria LNG would increase the penetration and market share of LPG by 32 per cent from 400,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) to three million MTPA in five years, as part of efforts to make more Nigerians use the product.

    A study by the company showed that the country must increase LPG production by 32 per cent, adding that given the right condition, the firm would achieve this goal soon.

    “It is expected that an aggressive and well-coordinated market expansion strategy should lead to the growth of the Nigerian LPG market at annual rates of up to 32 per cent from the current level of over 400,000MTPA to over  three million MTPA in five years with a potential increase in per capita consumption from approximately 2kg to over 12kg, well above the sub-Saharan average of 3.5kg per capita,” Attah said.

    The NLNG chief said the gas giant had taken up the drive to improve LPG use in Nigeria, adding that its efforts must be complemented by the government to ensure the market peaks in line with the estimate revealed by its study.

    On the subsector’s problems, Attah said dearth of investments in LPG reception facilities and supply infrastructure, onerous fiscal regime and regulatory environment, such as the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on LPG produced in the country, among others, were inhibiting the growth of LPG ‘ market.

    He urged the government to remove fiscal and regulatory bottlenecks to create a conducive business environment for private sector investment in all segments of the value chain.

    “The removal of VAT on LPG as well as taxes and duties, concessions for LPG equipment and cylinders must be at the top of the priority list for the government,” he said, adding that more people would use LPG in the country when these problems are resolved.’’

  • NNPC refineries meet 60% domestic kerosene consumption

    NNPC refineries meet 60% domestic kerosene consumption

    •House committee slams high cost of product

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) three refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna now supply 60 per cent of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), popularly known as kerosene, consumed in the country, it was learnt yesterday.

    The announcement is coming ahead of the 2019 target date for the cessation of petroleum products importation by the Federal Government.

    Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru said this at a two-day Investigative Public Hearing of the House of Representative Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).

    The committee was mandated to, among other things, work out a clear cut policy framework on deregulation of kerosene to avert the challenges faced by the masses in procuring the product; arrest the resurgence of kerosene explosion with attendant fatalities and investigate the disappearance of N11 billion worth of petroleum product belonging to the NNPC.

    According to Baru, the corporation’s refineries were producing five million liters of kerosene daily representing more than 60 per cent of the national daily consumption requirement of eight million litres.

    The GMD, who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Downstream, Mr. Henry Ikem Obih, said the balance of three million litres of the product was being imported by private petroleum products marketers.

    He noted that kerosene and other petroleum products supplied by the corporation were of high quality and meet safety standards.

    The corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who made this known in a statement quoted him as saying that “the NNPC ensures that the entire refining output in Nigeria through its refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna and any products imported by it to make up for market supply-shortfalls meet the specifications of the Nigerian Institute of Standard (NIS) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)”.

    The Committee Chairman, Joseph Akinlaja, stated that the committee was deeply concerned about high cost of kerosene in the market as well as incessant explosion due to adulteration.

    He said the committee will ensure it achieved its mandate.

  • Reps urge FG to address kerosene scarcity

    The House of Representatives has expressed concerns over the difficulties Nigerians are facing over scarcity of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK).

    The lawmakers said the product is not only unavailable but also unaffordable due to absence of clear cut policy on its deregulation.

    The House urged the Federal Government to come up with a policy framework on the deregulation of kerosene as applied to diesel and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to address the scarcity of the product.

    The House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Down Stream) was also mandated to liaise with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure that mechanism is put in place to make the product affordable.

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion by Segun Adekola (PDP, Ekiti), who noted that the masses that depend on the product are the worst hit by kerosene scarcity.

    He said: “The stark reality is that the effect of the rising price of kerosene is being felt by the average Nigerian who has to resort to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for their cooking purposes, with retail prices of gas rising from N2,500 for 12.5kg to over N5,500.00.

    “We observed that kerosene, which is the only crude oil product accessible to poor Nigerians in the rural areas has become so expensive that a litre is now sold for between N400.00 – N450.00; thus forcing many households to resort to using charcoal, sand dust and wood for cooking with their attendant consequences.”

     

     

  • ‘Hike in kerosene price will aggravate environmental challenges’

    ‘Hike in kerosene price will aggravate environmental challenges’

    An economist, Dr Aminu Usman, on Wednesday said that the hike in Kerosene price would further cause deforestation and aggravate environmental challenges in the country.

    Usman, a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Kaduna State University, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

    The don said that kerosene, the main source of cooking for the common man, had become so expensive to afford.

    The National Household Kerosene Price Watch for January, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, states that Nigerians bought Kerosene at N434 per litre in the month against N231.85 in December 2016.

    The report stated that average price per litre paid by consumers for Kerosene increased by 87.12 per cent year-on-year.

    Usman, however, said most families had turned to cooking with firewood because they could not afford to buy kerosene.

    “A situation where petrol is cheaper than kerosene; even diesel is cheaper than kerosene; you will see that the direction of inflation is actually heating the common man much harder.

    “If the inflation is heating rich people, it is okay not the common man.

    “What it means is that we have to resort to felling tree that will further aggravate our environmental challenges, especially in the North here where we don’t have a rain forest.

    “The little available trees are being cut down and the government does not have the policy of replacing it,’’ he said.

    The don, however, called on the Federal Government to intensify its tree planting campaign to curb deforestation and provide an alternative for Nigerians to cook.

    He said if there was nobody to follow up the campaign, people would continue to use firewood as the only alternative to fuel for domestic cooking.

    “How many people can also afford to buy cooking gas? The price has doubled.’’

    Meanwhile, the average price for the refilling of a 5kilogramme cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) increased by 28.24 percent year-on-year.

    In the latest Price Watch on Cooking Gas released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it stated that the product increased by 39.39 percent month-on-month to N2,567. 56 in January.

    The report stated that states with the highest average price for the refilling of a  five-kilogramme cylinder Cooking Gas were Abuja (N2,800.00); Kano (N2,750.00) and Oyo (2,700.00).

    States with the lowest average price were Borno (N2,511.11), Akwa Ibom (N2,520.00) and Bauchi, Benue, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Osun, Yobe and Zamfara (N2,500.00).

    Similarly, the average price for the refilling of a 12.5-kilogramme cylinder increased by 35.28 per cent year-on-year and 49.82 per cent month-on-month to N5, 508.16 in January from N4,071.63 in December 2016.

    States with the highest average price for the refilling of a 12.5kilogramme cylinder gas were Borno (N5,950.00), Delta (N5,933.33) and Katsina (5,972.22).

    Also, states with the lowest average price for the refilling of a 12.5-kilogramme cylinder were Benue (N5,083.33), Ogun (N5,030.00) and Kaduna as well as Kogi which  sold for N5,000.00