Africa Press-Nigeria:
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said on Saturday the comparison made by President Muhammadu Buhari on fuel prices between Nigeria and other countries in his independence anniversary broadcast was justified.
The president had in the broadcast defended the recent increase in the price of the product.
He stressed that it made no sense for petrol to be cheaper in Nigeria than Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest producers and exporters of crude oil in the world.
The president said: “We sell petrol at N161 per litre when the same is sold at N168 per litre in Saudi Arabia, N211 per litre in Egypt, N362 per litre in Ghana, N362 per litre in Chad, and N346 per litre in the Niger Republic.
“It does not make sense for petrol to be cheaper in Nigeria than Saudi Arabia.”
The statement caused a backlash in the country, with many criticising the president for making such comparison without considering the minimum wage, standard of living and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in particular.
But Mohammed, who featured on a Radio Nigeria current affairs programme, “Radio Link’’ on Saturday in Abuja, said there was nothing wrong in the comparison made by President Buhari.
