[Mhiz Rebecca]

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Workers (NUPENG) has confirmed that
there is no kerosene in any of the depots in
Lagos.
The union said the product was not available
in both depots belonging to the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC) and
private operators in Lagos.
Mr Rotimi Benjamin, the National Chairman d
that Surface Tank Kerosene Peddlers
(SUTAKEP) Branch of NUPENG, told News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that
Kerosene was last brought to the depots on
Dec. 27.
Benjamin, who is also the Vice-Chairman of
NUPENG, Lagos Zonal Council, said that
scarcity of Kerosene had made its price to go
up, thus making it unaffordable for the
masses.
He urged the Federal Government to come to
the aid of the masses, who could not afford the
price of cooking gas, by making Kerosene
available at the depots and filling stations.
The NUPENG chief said, “It is very sad that
things are going on this way; for the past two
weeks, there is no supply of Kerosene to any
of the depots in Lagos.
“The two refineries in the country have not
been pumping kerosene to the depots.
“This has forced the marketers that have the
product in their stations to increase it by over
60 per cent.
“This is not the right time for our refineries to
stop Kerosene production, as everybody cannot
depend on gas.
“Common man cannot afford the price of
cylinder and cooking gas. Our mothers in the
village depend on Kerosene, an essential
household commodity, to cook.
“Government should address the issue and
alleviate the sufferings of the masses by
making the product available,” he said.
However, NAN Correspondent reports in Lagos
that most stations in the metropolis did not
have the product in the stock.
Few filling stations with the product were
selling it at exorbitant prices ranging from
N285 to N300 per litre as against the official
price of N83 per litre.
Some kerosene consumers in Lagos appealed
to the Federal Government to assist the masses
by making the product available for them at a
reduced price.
In her comments, Mrs Moradeyo Adisa, a
widow, who resides at No 10, Abeokuta St.,
Ilasamaja area of Lagos, said that she bought a
bottle of kerosene for N250.
Adisa said that the product was sold for N300
per litre in the filling station against the
official price of N83.
She urged government to do something about
it to make life more bearable for the masses.
Another consumer, Mrs Kikelomo Joseph, a 67-
year-old food vendor at Agege area, said that
she had turned to firewood to cook her food
because kerosene was expensive.
“Instead of spending over N3, 000 on kerosene
to prepare food for my customers, I have
adjusted to using firewood, because it is a bit
cheaper.
NAN reports that the official price of Kerosene
in all the NNPC and major marketers was N83
per litre.