OUTCRY IN EBONYI AS COST OF COOKING GAS SKYROCKETS
REPORTER: AMECHI ODO
Some residents of Ebonyi State have decried the astronomical rise in the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas and have resorted to alternative energy sources to prepare their meals.
Our Correspondent, who monitored the development in Abakaliki, gathered that a kilogramme of the gas is sold for Seven hundred Naira in the area.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas popularly known as cooking gas has in recent years become a preferred source of cooking energy in many homes and eateries across the country basically because of its affordability and clean combustion.
About five years ago, a Kilogramme of cooking gas was sold for two hundred Naira but surprisingly the cost of the product skyrocketed to six hundred Naira last week and now seven hundred Naira.
A father of four, Mr. Nnachi Ugbo, expressed worry about the steady rise in the cost of the product, noting that he had instructed his wife to resort to firewood.
Another resident, Mrs. Bevelling Agha, said she bought cooking gas at the cost of five hundred Naira, emphasising that it would be difficult to refill her cylinder because of the rising cost.
A mother, Mrs. Esther Chukwu, said she stopped using cooking gas in her home since five months ago and advised other women to embrace alternative sources of energy for cooking.
In an interview, a dealer, Mr. Tony Awaza, attributed the rising cost of the product to devaluation of Naira and increase in Value Added Tax.
Radio Nigeria observed that the development had increased the usage of charcoal in many homes with a kilogramme of charcoal sold between two hundred and three hundred Naira.
