Kerosine, Cooking Gas Hike: Residents in Edo Resort to Firewood as Alternative

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The hike in prices of cooking gas and Kerosene has forced residents of Edo State to resort to the use of firewood and charcoal as alternative means of cooking their meal

Apart from the high cost, THISDAY gathered that the scarcity of the products has caused untold hardship as most dealers complain of drop in supply of the product.

A check by our reporter indicated that the price for a litre of kerosene at filling stations that was previously between #150 and #190, is now sold for between #300 and #350 restively.

Apart from that, a bottle content of the kerosene that was sold at between #200 and #220 to retailers, now goes on the for between #450 and #500 in Benin.

In the same vein, the price of 12.5kg of cooking gas has suddenly jumped from #3,600 during the Christmas season to #4,500.

Speaking of issue, a resident of Benin City, Mrs. Osariemen Edosa, lamented that she could not understand the “sudden and sharp” rise in the prices of both products.

She described what she went through before she could to get kerosene to buy as horrible.
According to her, “when I eventually got it to buy, the price I was given frightened me. I had to jettison my plan of buying 4 litres for a bottle at the rate of #350.”

Also in his comment, Lucky Amusa, said with gas and kerosene out of reach of the people for now, he decided to go nfor charcoal as an alternative.

His words: “Yes, I told my wife that we simply cannot afford this for now, especially against the backdrop of bills, including the children school fees that needed to be paid this month of January.”

On his part, Emmanuel Ogala advised that Nigerians must learn how to be their brothers keeper.
He described as pathetic the situation where Nigerians take advantage of little opportunity to increase prices of good and services indiscriminately without taking into account that the market is not only for the rich, but the poor as well.

“If you ask me, what made the dealer of these products to add such an amount to the prices of the products, I don’t know,” Ogala inquired.