National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Olatunbosun Oladapo, has said, Nigerians should be ready to pay more for domestic gas during this period.
Oladapo who blamed the increase in price to lack of Nigeria’s capability to refine domestic gas, despite the large deposit of it in the country, emphasized that the price of cooking gas can go as high as above N10,000 per 12.5kg going forward; depending on location.
Other reasons mentioned by National President Oladapo for the hike in price include, restrictions on importation of gas, the role of middlemen, insufficient local gas productions; and some other factors, hindering the product from reaching the final users.
Oladapo said, if the Federal Government, FG, can suspend charges on importation of gas until the country’s refineries are fully back and functioning, and the excesses of middlemen checked, the situation will be better than what it is presently.
He upheld that, while people are opting for alternative sources of cooking methods, using charcoals and firewood, the Association cannot settle for cheap alternative because of the dangers involved.
“We cannot settle for substandard gas because of high increase, or because, importation of gas is not enough, and Nigeria is not refining.”
Oladapo lamented the rate at which many gas plants/stations are folding up due to lack of supplies, and the increase in price rate.
He stressed the need for government assistance, and participation, in the refining process, if the country wants to really come out of the present crisis.
While not ruling out ‘sharp practices’ within the system, which Oladapo claimed ‘that is inevitable,’ he affirmed that, even the costs of kerosene, charcoals, and other cooking aids, have gone up, despite their negative impacts on human health.
Olatunbosun Oladapo added that, although gas exploration is capital intensive, and that it takes time, but he is optimistic that, if the country can key into refining process, instead of ‘flaring gas’, only then will the country overcome the problems of insufficient, and/or scarcity of domestic gas supply.
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Olatunbosun Oladapo, said this on Thursday during a chat with Arise News.