Some residents of Awka, Anambra State, have expressed concern over the “outrageous” increase in cooking gas prices and have appealed for urgent government intervention.
The residents shared their views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Awka, while reacting to the instability in cooking gas prices over the last six months.
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Raphael Okafor, CEO of Ricolen Enterprise Nigeria, a cooking gas retail outlet in Awka, said he has been in the business for more than 30 years, but noted that the product’s unstable price since the beginning of the year has been extraordinary.
“At the beginning of this year, one kg of cooking gas was sold for ₦1,050; the price later rose to ₦1,150 and from there to ₦1,200, before it got to ₦1,500. As we speak, the price now hovers between ₦1,800 and ₦2,000 depending on your location,” he said.
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Mr Okafor said the hike was seriously affecting the business as some customers now resorted to using firewood and charcoal to cook.
He said there was an urgent need for the government to investigate the factors driving the unstable prices, given the product’s importance to most households in both urban and rural communities.
“Government should brainstorm to find a lasting solution to this cooking gas problem; whether it is shortage as a result of inadequate production or sabotage from the distributors and marketers, action should be taken to stabilise the price,” he said.
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Mr Okafor said that for one kg of cooking gas to be selling for between ₦1,800 and ₦2,000 has a huge economic impact on the people.
He also noted that the environmental impacts of using firewood and charcoal cannot be overemphasised.
According to him, the government should intervene to unravel the reasons behind the price increase, starting with production, distribution, and retailing, with a view to reducing costs for end users.
Chindimma Okoye, a civil servant who also spoke on the matter, said the hike was compounding the cost of living conditions for families, especially salary earners.
She said, “For my family of six, we use a 12.5kg cylinder for about two months and spending about ₦25,000 to buy cooking gas, in addition to other domestic bills, is a serious burden.”
Another civil servant, Uju Igbelina, said the cost of cooking gas at Nise, near Awka, had risen to ₦2,100 per kg due to the area’s semi-urban nature.
Mrs Igbelina appealed to the government to look into the problem, as the situation was adversely affecting many families.
Ukamaka Ufelle, another Awka-based civil servant, said she bought 12.5 kg at ₦25,000, as against ₦17,500 in April, saying the hike was adding to the challenges people are facing in feeding.
She called on the government to look into the problem and find a lasting solution.
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Chinedu Uwguoke, a businessman, lamented that the cost of cooking gas and foodstuffs in markets was becoming beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
Mr Ugwuoke appealed to the government to introduce measures to cushion the effects of the rising prices of cooking gas, diesel, and other petroleum products, thereby reducing the cost of living.
Amara Onuora, an Awka-based petty trader who also decried the hike in cooking gas prices, said she is now using a charcoal stove.
Mrs Onuora said that before using cooking gas, she used a kerosene stove, but due to scarcity and a price hike, she resorted to cooking gas, which is now beyond her reach.
“With the hike in cooking gas prices, people are faced with more serious challenges to feed themselves. As a mother, I have decided to use a charcoal stove until things get better,” she said.
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