Nigeria: Kerosene Scarcity – What the People Say

Kerosene, an essential product in most households, has suddenly become expensive and scarce at major fill-ing stations in the Federal Capital Territory. This is against the directive of President Olusegun Obasanjo who earlier this year said that the pump price of kerosene should not be higher than the pump price of petrol.

The prices at a few filling stations that occasionally sell the product range from N77 to N100, while at the black market, a gallon of four litres of kerosene sells for N650. Those who can afford the product complain of the quality, which they say burns faster than the kerosene sold last year, while some have switched over to the use of charcoal and firewood to prepare meals for their households. This new trend encourages deforestation which in the future will have a devastating effect on the nation’s economy.
City News reporter Abubakar Yakubu went round Abuja city to gather the reactions of people on kerosene scarcity and below are their comments:

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