Ibe Challenges FG's Petrol Price Comparison with US

Paul Ibe, the media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, responded to the Federal Government's assertion that petrol prices in Nigeria are lower than in the United States. Ibe's comments came after Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, stated on Channels Television on September 22 that petrol was priced at approximately N1,430 per litre in Nigeria compared to about N1,633 in the US.

Ibe argued that such comparisons are incomplete without considering the income disparity between the two nations. He highlighted that a US worker could purchase around 981 litres of petrol with a month's salary, contrasting this with the purchasing power of Nigerian workers.

Ibe called for the government to provide data on petrol costs relative to wages and other economic indicators. He noted that rising fuel prices impact food and transport costs, affecting household budgets.

Lokpobiri maintained that the government has no control over prices in a deregulated market, acknowledging similar pressures on consumers in the US and Europe.