Angry Nigerians Lament as Price of Cooking Gas Rises by 30%

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There is wide spread condemnation of the recent increase in the price of cooking gas in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the price of cooking gas has risen by about 30% in Lagos and other parts of the country.

A 12.5kg cylinder, which previously sold for N3,500, now goes for N4,500 in most parts of the metropolis.

Some domestic gas users told NAN that they were irked by the sudden price increase, which they said was arbitrary and thoughtless.

Mrs. Rebecca Aleshinloye, a resident of Surulere, complained that gas sellers annually exploit users by increasing price of the product during festive periods.

She stated, “I filled my cylinder with gas at N3,500 in December; but surprisingly, I was told the price has been changed to N4,500. In annoyance, I went to a gas plant inside a filling station, thinking that it would be cheaper, but was told to buy at N5,000.

“I had no choice, but to go back to the first gas plant to fill my cylinder. This practice of gas sellers is highly unfair to users considering the economic situation in the country. I appeal to the relevant regulatory agencies to halt this practice by monitoring and checking the excesses of the sellers.”

Mrs. Jennifer Eluko, a resident of Abule Egba, said that the cooking gas price rose on December 24, 2016 at most of the sale points in the area.

“I usually filled two cylinders ahead of the festive period, because I know that sellers would sometimes create artificial scarcity and inflate the price,” Eluko said.

Mr. Ben Nwabueze, a retailer in Ikorodu, said that the price increase was a local problem, which would phase out as more plants restock the product.

He explained, “Yearly, because of the heavy cooking that takes place during the Christmas period, there is usually high demand for gas.

“We try to ration it and sometimes increase the price a little because we cannot restock until after the break when loading starts at the depots. More so, it will still take some days before the product circulates, thereby forcing a reduction in the price.”

-NAN