… Cooking gas unavailability bites harder
By Adewale Sanyaolu
Kerosene scarcity has hit major cities across the country, Daily Sun investigations has shown.
As at yesterday, most retail outlets in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Aba, Jos, Kaduna, and Abeokuta were out of stock while the few ones selling hiked the price from N500 to N1, 200 for four litres (a gallon) of kerosene, translating to about 140 percent increase.
This was even as cooking gas price hit an all time high of N4, 000 from the initial price of N2, 300 for 12.5kg cylinder size.
Despite the deregulation of kerosene, most marketers suspended importation, a reason that could have been responsible for the current scarcity. Further investigation by Daily Sun showed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) remains the only importer of kerosene at the moment.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), in January (quarter one), increased the price of household kerosene from N50 to N83 per litre, a price it equally maintained in a statement made available to the media in the second quarter of this year.
The agency stated that the N83 per litre price applied only to NNPC outlets. Regardless, none of the NNPC retail outlets sold kerosene at the approved price of N83 per litre in the first and second quarter which will end tomorrow.
In a related development, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr. Bassey Essien alleged that the diversion of cooking gas is responsible for the scarcity being experienced at the moment.
But, President of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association, Mr. Dayo Adesina has said the association is working assiduously to resolve all issues surrounding gas scarcity and skyrocketing prices.
He explained that lack of enough jetties for gas vessels to berth and discharge remains the major challenge responsible for the current scarcity.
‘‘ I am worried that some stakeholders were pointing accusing fingers at a particular terminal operator as being responsible for the current scarcity. That is not true. Rather, I implore all stakeholders to come together and fashion out ways on how we can get out of the present challenge. The only solution is to have more terminals where vessels can berth rather than having a single terminal which cannot accommodate the quantum of gas coming in,’’ he said
The same concern was equally expressed by the Chairman of Liquefied Petroleum Gas retailers (LPGAR), branch of NUPENG, Mr. Micheal Imudu.
This is against the backdrop of frustration from consumers, over the escalating price of cooking gas.
‘‘I have been out of cooking gas since Saturday. And all efforts to get the product have been abortive. The only place I got insisted on N4, 000. That to me is on the high side. Please, help us appeal to government to address the situation,’’ said a housewife, Mrs. Linda Opara.