The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and fuel marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, on Tuesday, clashed again over the removal of subsidy on petrol.
This came against the backdrop of the depreciation of the naira against the United States dollar at both the official Investors & Exporters Window and the parallel market.
On Tuesday, the local currency closed at 998/dollar on the official market, while it traded at 1,225/dollar on the black market.
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On the back of the falling naira rate, economists and oil marketers said PMS subsidy have been increasing in recent times, but the NNPC quickly countered these positions and declared that it was recovering its full cost on the importation of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, countering the positions of
The Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, had, during a live television programme on Channels TV on Sunday, explained that fuel subsidy was not removed but reduced.
Similarly, oil marketers told our correspondent on Tuesday that subsidy on petrol was increasing considering the crash of the naira against the United States dollar and the cost of crude oil, stressing that PMS should sell for N1,200/litre in the free market.
Petrol, which is solely imported into Nigeria by the NNPCL, currently sells for between N617/litre to N660/litre, depending on the location of purchase in Nigeria.