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.