Encomium
Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), a product which over 30 million Nigerians depend on daily for their cooking and other domestic use has been put beyond reach of the masses due to the sudden hike and scarcity of the product across Nigeria. In the last few weeks, the product hit all time high price of N700 per litre, adding to the pain of many households that depend on the product for cooking.
The scarcity of the product, brought about selling between N200 and N700 per litre nationwide, many have resorted into using charcoal, sawdust, firewood to cook their food as they can’t afford to buy a litre of petrol at such outrageous amount. Meanwhile, The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), known as cooking gas, also remained high selling at N320 per kilogramme in the last few days.
ENCOMIUM Weekly sought the opinion of the public on how they have been coping with the hike in the price of the product. In the chat, many revealed their ordeal and urged the FG to provide a possible solution.
RACHAEL OLOJEDE – People are really suffering in this country, we are going through a hell of a hard time, many have lost their jobs, many are about to lose their jobs. Even those who are still working, can’t survive again on the little salary they are earning. Our leaders don’t know our pain, they don’t buy kerosene, they don’t take public transport, they don’t buy cups of garri from the market woman, they don’t live on low budget to survive. Many are earning N10,000, N20,000, N30,000 every month.
So, they will never understand what the common man is passing through. I have stopped using kerosene, and I don’t use cooking gas too because I can’t afford a gas cylinder. I cook with firewood and broken plastic these days. It’s not convenient for me but I don’t have option. It’s the situation at hand.
OMOLARA AKINNUSI – The situation is not funny. I have learn to manage kerosene just because of the sudden rise in the price. I use to buy a litre of kerosene for N80, I’m surprised that the same litre is now sold for N300. The situation is saddening because we don’t know where this might lead to.
OLAYEMI ADEBO – It has been difficult to cook for me due to the price of kerosene in Nigeria today, a bottle is sold for N200 while litre is N350 as at yesterday when I bought kerosene. Many have ventured into using all soughs of things to cook, even charcoal is expensive, nothing is cheap in the country today. Our government should help the less privileged Nigerians.
JAIYEOBA VICTOR – In Kwara state where I school, the product is sold for N215 per litre while a bottle goes for N200. We can’t afford that price for a bottle of kerosene. We have learned to use charcoal and other funny means of getting our food prepared.
Our government needs to review the economic system of the country. It should be made a strictly capitalist state where everyone will be allowed to contribute their quota in helping themselves and increasing the standard of life in the country. The masses are suffering, they are voiceless.
MRS. EZINNE NNAJI – The present administration is not helping matters, the product(kerosene) is expensive, yet its fake. It burns faster than what you can ever think of. How can I buy a litre of kerosene for about N400 and won’t last me to prepare a pot of soup. Its annoying, I wonder what our government is doing to curb this ugly situation.
