Consumers worry as kerosene prices soar

Kerosene prices at depots across the country have soared in the last two months and consumers are worried more than ever before, BusinessDay findings have shown.

The price of kerosene went up by as much as 23 percent in the last five months to between N260 and N270 per litre from N210 at filling stations.

A 1.5-litre Eva bottle of kerosene which sold for between N300 and N350 in March now goes for between N500 and N600.

‘‘Patronage has dropped. Customers now buy in smaller quantities,’’ said Josephine Onokpa, a kerosene dealer in Lagos.

According to the latest NBS report, average price per gallon paid by consumers for National Household Kerosene increased by 0.80 percent month-on-month to N983.67 in May 2018 from N975.82 in April 2018.

Likewise, average price per gallon paid by consumers for National Household Kerosene increased by 3.45percent month-on-month to N975.82 in April 2018 from N943.27 in March 2018.

BusinessDay findings further showed that some consumers now use firewood, coal or sawdust as alternative means of cooking.

“I cannot afford to use kerosene as often as I used to because it’s very expensive. Kerosene is even more expensive than gas,’’ said Onyeka Madike, a Lagos resident. ‘‘So, I use coal to cook sometimes to cut cost. It’s sad that kerosene which is for the low income earners is no longer affordable.’’

 Another resident who gave her name as Gloria said, ‘‘Government needs to do something about this high price of kerosene real quick. It’s adding to our already difficult living condition.’’

But some environmentalists see the development as anti-development and dangerous to human existence as some of the tress provides freshness and oxygen for peaceful human existence on this earth.

“This is a very costly mistake because the impact on the environment is totally horrendous and negative. Why it is so bad is that there is no need to move to coal, firewood or even kerosene for that matter.

According to Doyin Odubanjo, Public health expert, cooking with coal or firewood is hazardous to health as it exposes consumers to a myriad of diseases and that is beside the inconvenience associated with this method of cooking.

“The resultant air pollution can also lead to damage of the airways. Apart from exacerbating existing conditions that people might have in terms of airways diseases like asthma, it could actually predispose towards other conditions like pneumonia and in fact it’s a proven factor in pneumonia incidence in children.

“There have been efforts over the years to guide households away from such sources of energy. It increases child mortality when you have such pollution in the house. So it’s dangerous for the health and primarily for the airways. It can predispose to diseases of the respiratory system,” Odubanjo said.