Abuja residents groan as cooking gas price skyrocketed
…Buys N1,000 per kG
By Matthew Denis Abuja
Residents of Abuja megacity and suberbs have continued to lament over the hike in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas better known as cooking gas.
Survey carried out by Nigerian NewsDirect Business Correspondent discovered that a kilogram of gas now cost between N900 and N1,000 in most of the gas stations.
Speaking to some gas vendors, Mr. Festus Ngari of Vinee Gas said, “The cost of bringing gas from the depot has drastically increased and we spent almost a month to queue before loading. So we have to increase the selling price to customers.
He stated that his customers have reduced the quantity they are buying compared to before which is causing a serious drop in sales.
“Before, a customer can come with different cylinder but now everything has fallen back. Some customers using 12.5kg could only manage to refill 3kg or 4kg while some will even buy on credit.
“I will appeal to the government, our leaders to help us look into this matter they should remove the tax and make things easy for us,” he added.
Mrs. Ifeoma Ikenna stressed that as the fuel scarcity bites harder so the difficulty in getting gas at the Depot.
She said, “Though there is an increment on all commodities in the market, even electricity. But the gas issues makes everything worse even to us the sellers.
A restaurant owner Christy Owu said, “I use three gas cylinders 12.5gk each to cook, but based on the increment I do not refill the three again, I am managing only two.
“Though it affects my cooking process and time which most of my customers complain about. This encourages me to be waking up earlier than before to get things done. The changing of my routine added up more stress to me.
“To save me from stress and unnecessary spending on gas, I think using firewood will be the best option.”
Another food vendor, Madam Chioma lamented that the hike in gas has made her to reduced the size of her food per plate so she can make good profits.
A Wuse resident, Bitrus Yahaya said, “I have been using charcoal to support my cooking I can’t afford the 6kg again. I only manage to buy 4kg then use charcoal to do some other things.”
He appealed to the Federal Government to always consider the masses while making certain decisions especially find lasting solution to the skyrocketed price of gas.
