Kerosene Consumers Decry High Price, Scarcity In PH

In spite of the Federal
Government’s intervention to reduce price and bring about efficient distribution of kerosene supply in the country through its Kero-Direct measure, the price of the product in Port Harcourt and its environs still remains high.
Some consumers who spoke to The Tide said the positive impact of the Kero-Direct on the masses is yet to be felt as nothing appears to be different in the old regime where a suspected cartel holds its tight grip on the distribution of kerosene.
One of the respondents, Mrs Cathrine Amadi, a resident of Obidianso street in Mile II Diobu, Port Harcourt said, “I still buy a litre of kerosene at the cost of N110.00 sometimes  I buy at N120.00”.
Mrs Amadi, who is a housewife said the effect of the Kero-Direct is not felt because apart from the NNPC Mega stations where one gets a litre at the official price of N50.00, no other station sells so.
Another respondent, Chief Joseph Columbus said, “you hardly get the product at filling stations to buy as attendants would always tell you that there is no kerosene.
“It is a big shame that kerosene which is mainly used by majority of Nigerians is not easy to get and the only place you can buy is from shylock retailers”, he said and wondered how filling stations lack the product but all over the streets you see the product being hawked at high price.
Bola Ayo, a retailer of the product disclosed that the reason why kerosene costs that much in the retail market is because they do not also buy the product at the official price.
“What happens is that when you get to the depot to buy, most times they will tell you there is no kerosene. You may have paid for the product for a week but before you get it, you are indirectly made to pay higher”, said Ayo.
He said the only way to bring sanity in the process, especially distribution is for the government to check the excesses of the hawks who have constituted themselves into what is best described as cartel.
“I tell you, if the product is bought by our members at official price, we have no alternative than to sell to our customers at official price or at a minimal difference to enable us make the profit that will sustain us in the business”, he stated.
Mercy Nwubani also told our reporter at Rumuola that the cause of Kerosene high price is artificial. “The cartel in the distribution process would always want to give you the impression that there is no kerosene. That is why you can hardly get the product in most filling stations and even at the NPPC mega stations, it is not easy to purchase it, but in the streets, the product is sold everywhere .
“It is surplus at the retail market but at the stations you don’t get it because that is the design of the cabal controlling the distribution to continue to milk the ordinary Nigerians who use the product most”, he stated.
Nwubani commended the effort of the Federal Government through its Kero-Direct intervention policy but appealed to the government to check those blocking the free flow of the process.
Another way we can as well solve the problem is through revamping of our public refineries and establishment of other private ones.
“At least we have the crude abundance, this is given to us by nature. Why can’t we run efficient refineries? With our public refineries revived and made to operate at full capacity and coming on stream of other smaller private refineries, we shall have surplus supply to serve us and also to export to outside Nigeria”, he maintained, adding that the step would boost employment opportunity, national economy and create more wealth for Nigerians.

Chris Oluoh