By Valentine Nnamani (Bureau Chief South East, in Enugu)
The price of cooking gas which has increased in recent times is already creating great anxiety and concern to residents of Nsukka town in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka on Monday, the people said the continued rise in the price of the commodity had further worsened the economy of many families.
A housewife, Mrs. Blessing Ezema, expressed surprise that a 12.5 kg cylinder she refilled with N4500 in December, now costs N5000, while 6.5kg previously sold for N2000, now costs N2500. She said, “I am surprised over this astronomical increase in the price of the commodity".
She appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene since the development was attributed to the high foreign exchange rate. Mrs. Ezema said she might return to the kerosene stove if the cost of the cooking gas remained high after exhausting her last refill. "The problem with kerosene stove is that it stains the pot and does not cook fast like gas. The government should please intervene immediately before the situation gets out of hand,” she said.
A restaurant operator, Mrs. Philomina Ozioko, said the price hike had affected her business. She added that she was spending a lot on cooking gas. A civil servant, Mrs. Vivian Ike, described the situation as very worrisome and urged the government to intervene to put an end to it. “Nigerians have yet to recover from the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which crippled many businesses and rendered many people jobless.
“Without cooking gas, many families will not be able to get food on their table. “Government should intervene to save Nigerians from further exploitation by cooking gas dealers,” Mrs Ike said.
A cooking gas dealer in the town, Mr Nnamdi Ikemefuna, blamed the unfortunate situation on the failure by the Central Bank of Nigeria to create a dedicated window for foreign exchange for the importation of cooking gas. He said “Importers of cooking gas source foreign exchange at a high price and this affects the price of the product. The cost of importation dictates the price it gets to consumers because no importer runs a charitable organization,” he said. (Source: NAN). NNL.
