Residents of Plateau State have decried the increasing cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, in the state and appealed for the urgent intervention of the government on the matter.
Some of the residents who spoke with BusinessDay on Tuesday in Jos lamented that the unabating hike in the price of the commodity has made life more difficult for them and members of their families.
The residents, therefore, concluded that if nothing is urgently done by both the government and the entire supply chain to address the matter, they may have to resort to the use of firewood or charcoal for cooking.
Speaking with our correspondent, Nasil Gyang a resident of Bukuru in Jos South Local government explained that the old prices of N900 and N1000 per kilograms were no longer obtainable as gas stations now sell the commodity at 1,300
He added that the timing for the increase of cooking gas was wrong because Nigerians were yet to recover from the hardship brought upon them by the removal of the fuel subsidy which has distorted the economy of the nation.
He stressed, “It is sad that the cost of cooking gas keeps increasing almost on a daily basis, and nothing is being done about it.
“We need the help of the government to address the issue. Otherwise, we may have to start using charcoal or firewood.
“The situation is very worrisome because salaries have not increased for many years now. We are going through a lot already due to the hardship caused as a result of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.”
Another resident of Farin Gada in Jos North LGA who sells cooking gas in small quantity, said he had not been able to purchase the commodity for some time now due to the hike in prices.
He added that many of his customers have resorted to the use of charcoal and firewood, a measure that has reduced the business patronage.
“Since the hike in the prices of cooking gas, life has been difficult for members of my family because the patronage has been low. I am waiting to see if the prices will be reduced so that I can buy to resell to my customers.
“Almost everything in the market has become very expensive, and we don’t know how we can escape from the situation we have found ourselves. I am appealing to the government to look into the matter because it is my only means of livelihood,” he said.
When BusinessDay visited CALAH gas station, Dumka Bali road, Jos South Local government area, it was discovered that one Kilogram of cooking gas sold for N1,300.
Sunday Amu, the Operating officer of the gas station told BusinessDay that many commodities have increased and gas is not left out.
He said the increase is also affecting their businesses as most people now use charcoal in place of gas.
“The increase is also affecting our business as a lot of customers now resort to using firewood and charcoal for cooking.
“So, I am appealing to the government and all other stakeholders to put their hands on deck towards addressing the issue in order to reduce the sufferings of residents of the state,” he pleaded.
A staff of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Jos office who refused to mention his name because he was not authorised to speak on the issue simply told BusinessDay that “the commission is doing everything within it’s powers to stabilse all issues surrounding the persistent increase of cooking gas”.
