Some residents of Lokoja, Kogi capital, are moving from one outlet to another in search of cooking gas amid scarcity and rising prices.
Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday showed that several gas outlets in Lokongoma and surrounding areas were either out of stock or selling at higher prices.
At Yakmoha Ltd. on Crusher Road, the cashier, Promise Olise, said the outlet had been without gas since Monday after exhausting its available stock.
Olise said the price had risen from N1,250 to N1,300 before the outlet ran out of stock.
She attributed the situation to high demand and low supply, adding that the price could increase further when the outlet reopened.
“We anticipate an increment because our supplier has also increased the price,” Olise said.
She said cooking gas prices were usually higher during the rainy season because alternative cooking fuels, particularly firewood, became difficult to obtain.
“Even charcoal has increased in price. We experience low patronage during the dry season because firewood is readily available,” she said.
A customer at an outlet, who declined to give her name, said she had visited several locations in search of cooking gas without success.
Another customer, Daniel Faruna, said he visited Gadumo after hearing about the scarcity but could not purchase gas.
“I went somewhere, but they said they did not have gas to sell. I went to Gadumo and they did not have it,” Faruna said.
“That is why I am here. I heard there is a scarcity of gas, so I came here to buy it,” he added.
Another customer, Abdulrahman Omide, said his younger sister had visited a nearby outlet three days earlier but could not purchase gas.
Omide said some customers were resorting to charcoal in spite of its rising cost, but noted that LPG remained easier to use.
“If you calculate the money spent on charcoal, it is almost the same as buying a kilogramme of gas. Gas is easier to use,” he said.
At MRS, Lokongoma Phase One, the station manager, Sani Muhammed, said the facility had been without gas for about four days before receiving new supplies.
Muhammed said the station resumed sales on Thursday, with the price of LPG rising from N1,300 to N1,350.
He said his boss informed him of a general price increase, adding that he was told it was linked to global events involving the United States and Iran.
At NIPCO Filling Station, Lokongoma Phase One, the manager, Amaka Okafor, also confirmed the scarcity of LPG.
Okafor said the product was selling for N1,500, after rising from N1,470 the previous day.
The scarcity has left some residents moving between outlets in search of cooking gas, while others are turning to alternative fuels in spite of their rising costs
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