Some residents of Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State, have urged the federal government and the Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agencies to urgently address the rising cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) known as cooking gas.
The residents made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abakaliki.
They lamented the steady rise in price of the product, adding that the average Nigerian family was finding it difficult to buy the commodity at its current price of N384 per kilogramme.
David Aluu and Chris Offor, cooking gas users, who spoke with NAN at a gas plant owned by GMPP Gas Resources Limited along Abakaliki-Enugu Highway, said the price of LPG has been on steady rise since December, 2020.
Messrs Aluu and Offor said the commodity was sold at N345 per kilogramme in December, but has skyrocketed to N384 since February.
They described the situation as unacceptable and called on relevant authorities to urgently take steps to reverse the price hike.
“Since February that the new tariff began, I can no longer fill my 15 kilogramme-cylinder due to the high price of the commodity.
“We now alternate the gas with a kerosene stove to save cost, though kerosene itself now sells at between N245 and N250 a litre, depending on the filling station,” Mr Aluu said.
“The recent astronomical rise in cooking gas and kerosene is putting most families on the edge while many have resorted to using fire wood which is not environment friendly,” he added.
Mr Offor said, “The situation is disheartening and many low in-come earners can no longer afford cooking gas at the price. I have resorted to buying 8 kilogrammes, instead of filling my 12.5 kilogramme-cylinder.
“I am appealing to relevant stakeholders to address the worsening economic downturn and reverse inflationary trend that is causing a hike in prices of essential commodities in Nigeria.”
Rise
In January, 5 kilogrammes and 7 kilogrammes of…
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