Nigeria, Sept. 15 -- The federal government has not fully deregulated the petroleum sector and should it do so, Nigerians would be paying about N183 per litre for petrol, an official said Tuesday.

The Minister of State for petroleum, Timipre Sylva, said this at a meeting in Abuja between a government delegation and labour leaders over the recent price of petrol.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how petrol prices rose from about N145 per litre to about N160 per litre across Nigeria with the government saying the increase was due to the deregulation of the downstream sector and the removal of subsidy on petrol.

However, on Tuesday, Mr Sylva sang a different tune. He said the government only partially deregulated the sector and a full deregulation ...