Cooking gas price rise:
All eyes are on Yar’Adua
By Tayo Olaitan
Sunday, January 27,
2008
For over three months now, there have been shrill cries by
Nigerian consumers of cooking gas over the sudden increase
in the prices of the product. As one of the cooking gas teaming
consumers, I have decided to maintain a cool mien despite
the fact that the strange increase has, as done to many others,
made me resort endlessly to the use of kerosine stove for
cooking.
My mood all along has been informed by the confidence I have
come to have in President Umar Yar’ Adua’s administration.
In my own view – considering all we have experienced
in the last few months of his administration – President
Yar’Adua has demonstrated the best quality of leadership
any nation can be proud to have. One of these qualities is
his apt response to the plight of the people.
I use a 12.5 kg cylinder, which I filled with just N2, 200
in September, 2007. Three months after when I exhausted the
gas in the cylinder, I attempted to refill it only to learn
that the price had gone up to N5,000. There and then, I decided
to resort to the use of kerosine stove in anticipation that
the situation would be addressed in a very short time. I was
in this spirit when I confidently assured some of my cousines
in Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Kaduna that the situation would
not persist for too long. But to my disappointment, the situation
has persisted longer than I expected.
The situation may not have made any negative impact on the
few rich people we have in this country, but it has definitely
not gone down well with ordinary Nigerians like me. If the
situation is allowed to remain like this, people like us will
be forever discouraged from using gas to cook at home.
This is different from what is experienced in developed countries
where everybody uses gas to cook regardless of their social
status. Mr President must know that all eyes are now on him.
So, I urge him to look into the situation and correct whatever
might be responsible for this arbitrary increase and make
the cooking gas affordable to all.
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