Cooking Gas, Kerosene Prices Hike: Consumers Groan, Want Government’s Intervention

Some residents of Ado village and its environs in Nasarawa State have appealed to the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the high cost of cooking gas and kerosene.

The residents, who made the appeal in separate interviews said they were unable to cope with the situation in addition to other financial responsibilities.

They urged the government to take drastic measures to crash the prices of the products in the interest of the masses.

Many households worried that the cost of the products had risen beyond their reach, urging urgent steps to make them affordable.

Recalled that marketers of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), otherwise called cooking gas had expressed concerns over the supply shortage and persistent increase in the price of cooking gas and cylinders in Nigeria.

The marketers had warned that the 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas, which then sold at between N7,500 and N8,000 could rise to N10,000 by December if the government fails to address the crisis.

The marketer blamed the hike in the price of the product on the recently introduced import charges and Value Added Tax (VAT) by the Federal Government.

Mrs Janeth Raymond, a resident explained that the increase in prices of cooking energy had become additional challenge to her, coupled with the high prices of food stuff in the market.

“Honestly, I find it very difficult to cope with. Imagine the 12.5 kg of gas we were buying N5,000 before, is now being sold for N8, 000, and you cannot use it up to two months before it finishes, talk more of kerosene.

“Kerosene now is almost N400 per a litre and for you to use a litre of kerosene to cook in the house, you can only cook two meals and before you know it finishes and the N400 is gone, then you will be looking for another N400 to buy another one.

According to her, it has not been easy as she has undertaken some of such little responsibilities to assist her husband, whom she said has other major roles to play at home so as to make things easier for them.

Raymond, therefore, made an appeal to the Federal Government to try as much as it could to reduce the prices of both cooking gas and the kerosene, even as Nigerians were discouraged to use firewood for cooking.

“From the news I heard, I learnt the hike came as a result of the increase in the recently introduced import charges and Value Added Tax (VAT) by the Federal Government.

“Whatever the case may be, I am appealing to the government to consider that it is the poor masses that are mostly affected,” she said.

On her part, Mrs Gladys Bernard said the most painful thing to her was non-durability of cooking gas, a condition she was wondering if gas dealers were selling fake gas now a day.

According to Bernard, you will buy gas today and it cannot last any longer and the situation has aggravated the suffering of the people.

“I don’t know if gas is purely air these days, gas is no longer lasting. Before, I used to fill 6kg at N3, 000, but now it is sold at N4, 200 and  I cannot afford it anymore. What I do now is to fill what I can afford.

“I used to fill the gas up, but today, I can only tell the seller to fill what I can afford,” she said.

Mrs Victoria Agbor, another resident in her tale of lamentation on kerosene, explained that the price of the product was becoming too high for her to cope with.

According to Agbor, one litre at the filling station now is N350, while at home (black market) is N400 per litre unlike she used to buy at the rate of N200 or N250.

She said things were really tough for her and the family, considering other financial issues for her.

She said that that due to the daily rise in the prices of cooking energy, she had resorted to the use of firewood and charcoal to cook.

She, however, she lamented that even charcoal and firewood were gradually getting out of hand as N300 charcoal could not sustain her in a day.

“Things are really difficult for me and my family. I don’t know how long Nigerians are going to endure this hardship, government should intervene please,” she said.

Mrs Patience Gabriel, another consumer, said it was her belief that the Federal Government had the power to do the right thing by intervening in a difficult situation like what Nigerians were facing.

“The governments should really look into it, I believe they have the power to do whatever they want to do in the petroleum industry.

“Because it’s really annoying that we have the resources within the country, yet citizens cannot benefit from what they have,” she said.

Others interviewed were of the same opinions, appealing to the Federal Government for intervention as it was becoming unbearable to them, coupled with children’s school fees, house rents and other financial responsibilities.