Housewives urge FG to tackle outrageous price of kerosene

Some housewives in Nsukka, Enugu State, on Saturday called on the Federal Government to intervene and force down the price of kerosene.

The housewives, who made the appeal in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), noted that the current price of kerosene in the neighbourhood was between N200 and N240 per litre.

They expressed worry over the outrageous price of kerosene, a product used by indigent people to cook their meals and fuel their hurricane lamps in the night.

They moaned that kerosene had gone beyond the reach of the poor across the country, adding that this had caused untold hardship for the less-privileged Nigerians.

One of the housewives, Mrs Juliann Ezeugwu, particularly urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and force independent petroleum marketers to sell kerosene at the control price of N83.00 per litre.

It is unfortunate that in spite of official price of kerosene which is N83.00 per litre, kerosene now sells for between N200 and N240 per litre in filling stations, while in the ‘black market’, the price ranges between N260 and N280.

It is worrisome that if one manages to buy some foodstuff for the family, getting kerosene to cook it becomes another obstacle,’’ she said.

Mrs Ngozi Amadi, another housewife, described the situation as very painful, saying that it had forced her to stop cooking fuel-consuming foods like beans and bread fruits.

My children like bread fruits and beans but I now avoid cooking these foods because they consume a lot of kerosene.

Another problem I have is that my landlord has warned his tenants to refrain from using firewood in his house.Government should help the poor people in this country and ensure that kerosene is sold at the government price of N83.00 before many people die of hunger,’’ she said.

On her part, Mrs Joy Ezema said that due to the increase in the price of kerosene, she had resorted to using charcoal to cook because she could not afford kerosene at the current price of N240 per litre.

I now buy a bottle of kerosene to light our lamp at night and after our dinner, I put it off in order to preserve the kerosene,’’ she said.

A member of IPMAN in Nsukka, who pleaded anonymity, blamed the exorbitant price of kerosene on its high cost at fuel depots across the country.Nigerians should understand that the fault is not from marketers but from oil depots, as s