It emerged recently that kerosene had hit N600 per litre. To say this massive increase in the commodity has far reaching implications for the masses, who depend mainly on it for cooking and other domestic uses, is to put it mildly. The majority of Nigerians use stoves to cook and kerosene powers them.
Apart from this, they also use it in lanterns to provide light in their homes given the epileptic nature and, sometimes, complete absence of electricity. This group of people can’t afford gas cookers to cook or generators to provide electricity.
At any rate, gas and petrol have also had their share of increase in prices. So, to say the masses are experiencing a predicament of untold proportion is an understatement. Sadly, there doesn’t look to be any alternative for the over 30m Nigerians whose lives are directly linked to the product. Firewood which hitherto had been a source of energy for many homes had since been declared a ‘no-go area’ for obvious reasons.
Nigerians have been told repeatedly not to cut down trees for cooking purposes, they have been inundated with the environmental implications of doing so, and, indeed for good measure, have been enjoined to plant trees. Charcoal which is another source of energy has its own implication for the environment also.
So what alternative do average Nigerians have? How do they cook their meals? How do they provide light in their homes? The scarcity of kerosene which had hit major cities across the country, with most retail outlets in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Kaduna and Abia States running out of stock arose apparently from the fact that a majority of marketers, who had hitherto reduced importation of the product, have now halted it due to difficulty in accessing foreign exchange.
“The shutdown of refineries that produce DPK (kerosene) through which the market is augmented, is another major problem,” a marketer told this newspaper. “The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) is now the major importer of the product and except for the majors, most of the independent marketers, if not all, depend on loading from PPMC’s depots.
And this explains reasons for the scarcity.” Other reasons that have been adduced for the scarcity of kerosene and its unavailability for domestic purposes is the diversion of the product to neighbouring countries, its industrial usage, as aviation fuel and the unwholesome activities of middlemen.
Quite clearly, there are competing demands for the commodity and until these are resolved, the issue of scarcity of kerosene will remain intractable. Another reason for the shortage of the product is the activities of vandals on the one hand, and militants, who have continued to vandalise and destroy pipeline installations in the volatile Niger Delta region, on the other. Government must find a lasting solution to the issue of vandalism and destruction of oil installations as this affects not only the production of kerosene, but also gas and petrol, ultimately forcing up prices.
The lesser of the evils, vandalism, which has been a recurring issue and is largely a matter of theft, has persisted because government has not shown enough will to deal with it. But now is the time to act decisively. With regard to the matter of Niger Delta militants, the situation is more complex. Government in this regard needs to be much more circumspect in dealing with the issue because of its various dimension.
There are demands being made by these groups that relate to the issues of justice, equity, fair play and environmental degradation that require high level of negotiation, understanding and circumspection to tackle. This is one area where the option of knee-jerk reaction must be resisted. The creeks of the Niger Delta should not become our own Vietnam.
Also, government must ensure that kerosene is not ferried to neighbouring countries when the product is not available at home. The perpetrators of this criminal act of sabotage must be pursued with singleminded determination and stopped.
In addition, we observe that even in filling stations where the product is available, the outlets prefer to sell to middlemen who buy in large quantities and sell to the people at exorbitant prices. This is another area where government has a huge role to play. It must intervene.
Regulators must monitor these stations to ensure that kerosene is sold directly to the people and not sold at ungodly hours to profiteers. Finally, we are compelled to remind those in power that the sole purpose of government is the welfare and wellbeing of the people. That is the surest way to measure their performance or lack thereof. Any government that cannot safeguard over 30m Nigerians where they live – in a matter that directly affects their survival – is unworthy of the name.
