Kerosene scarcity: Jigawa residents blame product dealers

FILE PHOTO: Kerosene Queue

Residents of Hadejia in Jigawa have blamed petroleum products dealers for diversion of kerosene resulting to the current acute scarcity of the product in the town.

The situation has also resulted in price hike of the commodity in the market.

A check in Hadejia on Tuesday showed that most of the petroleum products service stations had run out of stock of the product in the past weeks.

Kerosene was only obtainable at the black market outlets, where it sold for between N400 and N450 per liter, above the N83 approved pump price.

Black-market operators are making brisk businesses due to the high patronage of the trade occasioned by the scarcity.

A cross section of the residents, who spoke with newsmen described the situation as ‘worrisome’.

Malam Ahmad Bala, a resident, said that he was exposed to difficulties in sourcing for the product.

Bala noted that kerosene was beyond the reach of the common man due to exorbitant prices at the black market outlets.

Mrs. Halima Ibrahim, a housewife, said that the exorbitant prices had forced most families to resort to firewood for domestic needs.

Ibrahim added that she preferred charcoal due to its cheaper prices, in spite of its cumbersome processes.

Another resident, Magaji Muhammad, urged the Federal Government to adopt practical measures to end the scarcity and enhance availability.

However, Ahmed Ali, a kerosene dealer, attributed the scarcity to the high cost of importing the product into the country.

Ali called on the NNPC to evolve effective measures to end scarcity and enhance the supply of the product.