Cooking gas price rise again, NUPENG raises alarm

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Post created on 9:31 am

 

 

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers, LPG Retailers Branch have decried the recent hike in price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, popularly called cooking gas.

The cooking gas has been on the rise in the last two weeks according to Mr. Chika Umudu, the NUPENG LPG retailers’ branch Chairman.

Mr Chika Speaking urged the Federal government to intervene considering the current energy crisis in Nigeria as seen in the drop in power supply and petrol scarcity.

He said “The branch union decries the return of LPG price rise which has led to an increment of up to N1,000 for 12.5kg size or N80 for 1kg within the last two weeks throughout the country.

“Consequently, the price of the average size cylinder (12.5kg) is now being sold at about N8500 from N7500 two weeks ago in Lagos and neighbouring states.

“Similarly, in parts of Northern Nigeria, South-East and South-South, the price has risen to N9000/N9500 from N8000/N8500. Prices at the depots have similarly risen to about N11m for 20 metric tonnes from N10m and less sold about two weeks ago.”

“The union recalls that a similar price rise occurred in 2021 leading to the sale of 12.5kg gas up to thousand N10,000 in late November and early December 2021 amidst supply shortages,” he stated.

“The union, therefore, expects the government to come up with clear policy direction for the development of LPG in the country to forestall the ugly situation.”

“Recall that between December 2020 and early months of 2021, the government through its various programmes inaugurated gas expansion programme often tagged  ‘Decade of Gas’ aimed at not only making LPG available to all Nigerian homes irrespective of income level but also to expand the use of gas for other purposes such as automobile and public/private electric generation,” he stated.

“It supposes that enabling infrastructure would have been in place before the inauguration but the events immediately after the inauguration prove the contrary.

“This is not equally good at this time when efforts should be at the top gear to expand the use of LPG in the country as a means of reducing environmental pollution, deforestation and desertification.”

The union, therefore, charged the government to revisit its gas expansion programme and to involve all stakeholders in the process.