The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is now producing under excruciating environment following inadequate power supply which has increased demand for gas as alternative source of power generation.
The National Chairman of non-Metallic Mining Group of MAN, Mr Afam Mallinson Ukatu, who expressed this concern over the increase in the price of gas, regretted that this is coming when the global economy is facing challenge.
Ukatu said:  “The pandemic is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, it is ravaging the global economy. But I expected the government to give palliative to manufacturers to cushion the resultant effect of the pandemic instead of the commodity price going up.
“We have been complaining that we are being charged in Dollar for consuming gas locally and nothing has been done to reverse the ugly trend. I have been complaining about this over the years at the parent organisation (MAN) for a very long time that the trend should be reversed and also for the government to look into it.
“It is very painful that gas, which is gotten from our soil, is being sold to us in US Dollars. We are being charged according to the exchange rates. Now that the exchange rate has gone up following the technical devaluation of the Naira, and scarcity of Forex, the increase has come again when we are asking for what palliative the government would give us to ameliorate our situation, enable us pay salaries, gas bills and offset some bills that accumulated during the lockdown.
“We were also looking up to the government to give us some relief for one year or more, but what we are getting is increased gas price. This is not done in any part of the world. It is only in Nigeria that this is happening and it is quite unfortunate.”