IN the last one week, Mrs. Irene Uzokwe, a mother of four, resident with her family in the Customs area of Abaranje, Igando-Ikotun Local Council of Lagos State, has, on more than three occasions, considered using firewood to cook instead of kerosene.
Though she has not done so yet, she thinks it is only a matter of “the next few days when my husband will either allow me use firewood and charcoal or increase the money he gives me for housekeeping.
“The price of kerosene has been climbing since August last year and is now almost outside the reach of most low-income Nigerians like us who depend on it to cook.
“My husband says I cannot use charcoal. But how long can we continue to spend money we could have used for other things just to buy kerosene?
“Unless my husband agrees, he will come back one day to find out that we have bought kerosene but have no money to buy the food items to cook.”
Such sentiments as expressed by Mrs. Uzokwe represent the feelings of many Nigerians following the sharp increase in the price of kerosene, a cooking fuel by an overwhelming majority.
Such Nigerians who can now only barely afford it have taken recourse to other means, such as charcoal, sawdust and firewood.
A food vendor in Adejiyan Street Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Council of Lagos State, Bose Alabi said: “What is happening is a serious problem to us.
“It is difficult to believe that a litre of kerosene we bought at between N60.00 and N70.00 less than a year ago costs almost N180.00 in some places.
Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2010,© Bienvenu sur Babilown
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