Some residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, have resorted to improvising kitchens within their apartments to be able to cook with firewood, as the price of kerosene has skyrocketed in the town, selling for between N300 and N400 per litre.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday, the commodity sold for N400 for a Lucozade bottle (which is less than a litre) in the black market and N300 per litre at filling stations.

A cross-section of the residents expressed concern over the scarcity of the commodity and the attendant price hike.

Sunny Nwogu, a public affairs analyst, said some residents had been compelled to improvise kitchens within their apartments “to be able to cook with firewood, adding: “My worry is that the current economic situation is biting harder and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.”

A public servant, Henrietta Ifeanyi, described the situation as “worrisome,” saying the price had gone beyond the reach of the common man.

“The high cost of the commodity has made the cost of living more unbearable for the common man in the country,” Ifeanyi said, noting that many homes had resorted to the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking.

“Where I live, many of my co-tenants have stopped using kerosene stove.