FCT residents deplore high cost of kerosene

 A cross section of residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have deplored the high cost of kerosene, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The residents in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the increase in kerosene has made life more difficult for them and their family.

The resident said that although its price has always fluctuated, the recent increase was unbearable.

Some residents said that the product was now sold at N1,000 per liter from kerosene vendors as against N600 in recent weeks.

According to one of the vendors at UTC market, Musa Magaji, confirming the hike in price of kerosene, said that it was a gradual process up to this period.

He said they use to sell kerosene at N300 per liter in the past and later it soared to N600 before the current price of N1,000.

However, another kerosene vendor at a filling station in Gudu, Mustapha Salisu, who said he has been in the business for over seven years, said he sold the product between N800 to N850 per liter.

He said that the price of kerosene had never increased as it was currently, adding that this had force a number of buyers to look for alternative.

Salisu noted that most of his customers are the local people in his community who use it for cooking, adding that the increase in the price from N850, has stop them from buying.

‘’I use to buy it in the filling station at N750 per liter and I will sale at N800 or N850 to my customers.

”Now that the price has increased to N1,000, I don’t think that I will continue the business because I no that my customers can’t afford it,’’ he said.

Mallam Umar Abubakar attributed the increase to the rise in the price of gas.

He said whenever there was increase in the price of gas, it automatically reflects on the price of kerosene because people usually turn to it.

‘”If the price of gas increase, there is usually an increase in kerosene too. Gas is now sold at N830, it skyrocketed from just N200 some months ago.

”But we are hopeful that it will decrease and that will eventually affect kerosene price too,’’ he said.

However, some of the residents said they have stopped using kerosene following the increase and have resorted to other alternatives.

While some of them said they now use charcoal, others said they have turned to gas.

A banana and groundnut seller at Area 10, Madam Favor Peter, said that she couldn’t afford it at the current price and was now using other alternatives.

She noted that she used to buy at a lesser price months ago.

”I use to cook with it sometimes, especially in raining season, but when I bought a liter at N1,000 two weeks ago, I stopped buying it. It used to be around N600 or N650 two months ago.

”Even though the differences are not much, I am now using charcoal and gas to cook and even the charcoal price has increase, it now N3,500 per bag now,’ she said.