The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kerosene

  • Costly error: mother gives son kerosene to drink

    A kerosene seller, Mrs. Ata Buhari, has accidentally killed her 18 months old baby after she mistakenly gave him kerosene to drink instead of water.

    The tragic incident occurred at Iguma Street,  Off Orewere Street, Medical Stores Road in Egor local government.

    Sources said the deceased son whose name was given as Isreal Buhari had cried to his mother that he wanted to drink water.

    The source said his mother gave him water stored in a beverage can to him not knowing that the content of the can was kerosene.

    It was learnt that the boy spat out the content immediately he tasted it which made his mother to realize her mistake.

    However, few minutes later, the child was said to have cried of pain in the stomach before he turned white in the eyes.

    Some neighbors were said to have rushed to the mother’s aid and gave the boy some palm oil to consume before he was rushed to a hospital in the area where he died few hours later.

    Speaking to newsmen in tears, Mrs. Ata  who hails from Kogi State explained that one of her children filled an empty can of beverage with water which they took to store.

    Mrs. Ata said she had a similar container of beverage with which she stored kerosene kept in her shop.

    She said she picked the one filled with kerosene when her child complained of thirst.

    Father of the child, Mr Buhari Hassan, aged 36 said he was called to the hospital where he met the corpse of his only son.

  • Okowa advocates right pricing for kerosene

    Okowa advocates right pricing for kerosene

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has called on the relevant authorities to take necessary actions to ensure availability and right pricing of kerosene and other petroleum products in the country.

    The governor made the call on Thursday at the inauguration of an ultra-modern filling station owned by North-West Petroleum and Gas Company Limited in Asaba.

    He said that it was unacceptable that most Nigerians today buy kerosene above the official price, adding that the product was not readily available in spite of high pricing.

    The governor said that the situation called for necessary action aimed at easing the suffering of the masses.

    “Our people have been finding it very difficult to get kerosene at the appropriate prices, so, we are very much interested in its regular supply at the right price.

    “It is our hope and prayer that kerosene will never be out of stock and we thank God that we are going to get it at the official price at this ultra-modern filling station.

    “It has been an unlikely thing in the past few months to have kerosene at the appropriate prices.

    Kerosene price hike“I believe that this will lead to greater competition and also drive other filling stations to try to keep their prices at control price as stipulated by the authorities,” Okowa said.

    He commended the management the company for its interest in establishing in the state and encouraged it to also establish modular refineries.

    “We would rather want a modular refinery to be established here in Delta State than in other places.

    “After all, we produce the crude, the transport of the crude will be close by and we will find a place that is very close to you so that you would not need to have transportation challenges.

    “We want to encourage other private investors to invest more and provide this kind of project that will help to improve the lives of our people,” he said.

    Dr Olaolu Modashiru, a director in the company, said that the friendly environment for investment attracted the company to Delta.

    He gave an assurance that the company has a reputation of having products at all times at the right price.

  • On scarcity, high cost of kerosene

    SIR: In Nigeria, kerosene is known to be the product for the poor as most of the disadvantaged people in the country use it while the rich ones use gas due to the fact that it facilitates and make cooking faster than kerosene. The high cost of kerosene and its unstable price is now a serious issue and something should be done fast to stabilize its price and make it affordable for the sake of the poor in the country, for the sake of change and for the sake of good.

    In most states of the federation, a litre of kerosene currently sells between N220 to N400. Notwithstanding the high cost, it is also unavailable in many places in the country and that has pushed majority of the citizenry into the use of firewood and charcoal to cook their foods.

    It is very unfortunate that kerosene’s price has never been stable even in the previous administrations; what Nigerians are experiencing now in terms of price and unavailability has gone far beyond what was obtainable in the previous regimes. If urgent action is not taken now to deal with the situation, one day, a litre will be sold for (N1000.

    The government should know that Nigerians are going through hard times and anything that can be done to help ease or lessen their burden has to be done in earnest and urgently.  One needs not argue whether or not the Buhari administration mean well for this nation; what is important at the moment is that the nation is not well and the high cost of kerosene and its unavailability has contributed to the ill-health of the nation.

    Any action to help remedy the problem of scarcity and its fluctuating price has become an imperative.  The time to make kerosene affordable is now; the time to make it available is now; the time to ease the sufferings of Nigerians is now. The time to do what can benefits the poor is now; the time to wipe the prolonged tears of the poor is now. The time to start experiencing positive change is now.

     

    • Awunah Pius Terwase,

    Mpape, Abuja.

  • Students cook with charcoal as kerosene price goes up

    Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) in Niger State are not happy with the hike in kerosene price. A litre of the product now sells for N500 in the black market and N400 in filling stations.

    The students described the price hike as “distasteful”, saying it was making life hard for them in the midst of recession.

    Many of them now use charcoal to cook.

    Godfrey Daniel, an Electrical Engineering student, said he could no longer cope, noting that he would not risk spending his stipend on kerosene at N500 per litre to cook.

    He said: “Things are just too bad now. It would be foolish to spend the little money we are given by our parents on only kerosene. The prices of food are also going up, just as the prices of commodities we need to cook the food. The current situation calls for attention, because students are suffering. We would not achieve anything in our studies if we decide to spend our money on feeding alone. This is a big problem and the government needs to intervene.”

    Nnenna Nwokocha, a Mass Communication student, said she now relied on electric stove since she could not afford kerosene at N500 per litre. “I don’t cook beans anymore. I now have to wait for electricity before I can cook beans. I tried as much as I could to cope with the price of kerosene, but I could no longer cope. It is not economical to cook with kerosene.”

    Mariam Mustapha, a Business Administration and Management student, said: “I bought four litres of kerosene for N1,800 and I felt bad while paying the money. We are still suffering in the present economic recession, which hikes food prices. Now, we are facing another problem with kerosene to use in cooking the food we bought at high prices. Do they want us to starve to death? The government needs to intervene.”

    The  students’ hardship is  compounded by unreliable power supply to their hostels.  The use of charcoal, some said, is dangerous to their health.

    A Higher National Diploma (HND) 1 Banking and Finance student, Comfort Adeleke, said students with asthma were finding it difficult to use charcoal for cooking, because of its effect on their health.

    A National Diploma (ND) II Business Administration and Management student, Chidimma Kalu, said she was forced to use charcoal for cooking because she had no alternative to kerosene.

    Samira Muhammed, an ND II Estate Management student, said: “l made the coal pot  myself and bought N200 charcoal, which served me for five days. When kerosene was sold at N350, it could only serve for three days.”

  • Kerosene explosion claims pregnant woman, son

    The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the death of a pregnant woman and her son after a kerosene explosion in Ngenevu axis of Coal Camp within Enugu metropolis.

    The command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, disclosed this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Enugu.

    Amaraizu said that the incident occurred at about 7.30 p.m. on Jan. 30, when a kerosene lantern exploded.

    He said that several other family members, who sustained fire burns, have been hospitalised.

    “It was gathered that on that fateful day, one Hillary Ugwuoke, also from Ngenevu axis of Coal Camp community had allegedly bought kerosene from a neighbour in the evening.

    “He later poured it into his lantern and in the attempt to lit the lantern, the kerosene exploded and went into flames.

    “In the process, the said Hillary Ugwuoke, his pregnant wife and his children were burnt by the inferno and sympathisers assisted in their being taken to National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, for medical assistance.

    “It was further gathered that at the hospital, Mrs Ugwuoke, who is said to be pregnant, was confirmed dead together with her four-year-old son.

    “While others who sustained severe burns are receiving treatment,’’ he said.

    Amaraizu said that investigation had begun into the incident. (NAN)

  • Disaster looms as Rivers residents cook with adulterated kerosene

    More than 21 families in Rivers State experienced kerosene explosion in 2016. Many did not survive to tell their stories. Some are still in the hospitals battling with their lives. Precious Dikewoha examines the danger in cooking with adulterated kerosene.

    Madam Glory Nnorum knows the pain of kerosene explosion. Her sister died last year as a result of adulterated kerosene.

    Madam Nnorum said: “My sister bought kerosene at the roadside and after pouring it on her cooking stove it exploded. Her two sons dead, and after two months in the hospital she died. Last year was very heavy in our heart. When I see people buying kerosene at the road side, I pity them because they are ignorant of the consequence of the product they are buying. Adulterated kerosene is deadly. It has wiped out many families in Rivers State; so, I’m not going to patronise it. The last kerosene I bought at the filling station has just finished and I went to the filling station to get another they said there is no product. So I bought firewood which I’m using for now. I know not everyone will have a space where he or she is living to make use of firewood. But I think people should be careful, because I can see danger. I can see entire family being consumed.”

    Another resident, Mrs. Cecelia Dinka Woke, a house wife, said she has turned to charcoal for her cooking.

    “it is charcoal we are using now. We don’t have money to buy. The question is how many days would it last for a family of six that is boiling water every time. My husband is not working; he lost his job two years ago and yet to get another one. Before now we used to buy in the filling station close to us but when we discovered that we cannot afford the price we decided to be sourcing for charcoal. With the story of explosion we are hearing from here and there, I think it is better to manage the charcoal for now until when the product is available at the filling stations.”

    A Port Harcourt resident, Mr. Innocent Oji, blamed the Federal Government and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria(IPMAN) for the scarcity of kerosene. He said both the government and the IPMAN should be held responsible if anything happened to ignorant Nigerians now “buying their death as kerosene.”

    Oji said he is worried over the increase in the supply of bunkering kerosene into the market by militants.

    “Following the scarcity of kerosene at the filling stations, many criminals in the Niger Delta are now using the opportunity to destroy pipelines to get illegal product as a cheap way of making money. And people are not complaining because the product is cheap and unknowingly to some of them, they are buying a disastrous product that could end their lives and that of their families. My candid advice is that the public should watch carefully on the kind of product they buy in the market. And if they must use the product, they should pour it first on the ground, light on it, and the reaction will show if it is a good or bad product.

    “Explosion, whether it is fire, kerosene, petrol, gas or any other form of explosion that ignites fire, damages property and destroy life is the worst disaster that could happen to any family or individual. But the alarming rate of kerosene explosion in the Niger Delta, particularly in Rivers State, has been attributed to the buying of adulterated bunkering kerosene which must stop.”

    When our correspondent visited Borokiri axis of Port Harcourt where “bunkering” kerosene is being sold, some of the dealers agreed that adulterated kerosene was the cause of the incessant explosion.

    One of the dealers of kerosene, Mrs. Angela Nweke, said because of the high cost of kerosene most of them prefer to patronise the adulterated kerosene being sold by militants.

    She also alleged that some marketers or owners of filling stations also patronise the boys.

    “We are not the only people that patronise these boys. There are big men who come here with their tankers to load this adulterated kerosene and when they get to their filling stations they mixed it with the good one. On the issue of explosion, we have informed the boys on the need to properly refine the kerosene considering the danger it is posing to the society. But we cannot stop buying because we are making enough profits from the product.”

    Mr. Stephen Willy, a petroleum marketers in Port Harcourt, said it is wrong for anyone to accuse marketers of adulterating a product. He said he decided not to order for supply because the price of the product was high. He called on the security agencies to track down those illegally refining kerosene and selling it to members of the public.

    The zonal Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Eastern Zone, Ben Dumbari Dimkpa, said the scarcity of kerosene product was due to the activities of criminals who vandalise pipelines.

    Dimkpa said: “The refineries have not been working to the optimum capacity. And it has created a garb in the demand and supply but I think with the coming of Port Harcourt and Warri refineries which is working with 60 percent capacity I believe the scarcity would be over. Especially in the Southern zone, there are a lot of adulterated products due to pipelines vandalism which IPMAN is working hard with the security agencies to end the menace. We have our data base of registered Independent marketers that load from Pipeline and Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and recommend Tank Farm in Nigeria. So when the marketers go through these channels to buy their product; they are product that has gone through process of refining. Those who don’t know should contact IPMAN, those who buy from the unregistered marketers are patronising adulterated petroleum product.”

  • Why kerosene, diesel are scarce, by DAPPMA

    Why kerosene, diesel are scarce, by DAPPMA

    Why  is kerosene and diesel scarce?They are scarce because of the high exchange rate, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) has said.

    In an interview, DAPPMA Executive Secretary  Mr. Olufemi Adewole said: ‘’There is shortage of foreign exchange (forex)for marketers to import petroleum products, including kerosene hence the product is scarce and expensive. The winter period also contributed to the challenge because prices of petroleum products usually rise during this period.

    “There is higher demand for petroleum products outside the country during winter. It is well known in the international oil industry that during winter there is more concentration on some particular products and it is usually very expensive to import such products.”

    He urged the Federal Government to provide adequate foreign exchange to marketers to enable them import and increase supply.

    Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN) National Operations Controller Mr. Mike Osatuyi said IPMAN members also did n’t have access to forex to import kerosene and diesel.

    He said his colleagues relied  on the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for their supplies.

    He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to take a second look at its forex policy, urging the government to fully deregulate petroleum products.

    “The issue is that it is not available, and secondly, most of our refineries are not loading. Even if they load, they will be selling it at exorbitant rates to marketers. Members cannot import because of forex and besides, kerosene is not fully deregulated. Unlike diesel, kerosene and petrol are not fully deregulated,” he added.

    A litre of kerosene sells for as much as N300 per litre across the country.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs  Mr. Ndu Ughamadu said the corporation had begun production of kerosene and diesel at Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

    He said the refineries would balance the disequilibrium in demand and supply of the products being experienced in some parts of the country.

    Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) Managing Director Mr. Solomon Ladenegan said the plant had been doing well since its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) was revved up few days ago.

    He said the Warri Refinery refines two million litres of kerosene and three million litres of diesel daily. ‘’We pump the products to Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and they have started loading out the products to depots,’’ he said.

    Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Managing Director Dr Bafred Enjugu said refinery produces three million litres of kerosene and diesel daily.

  • NNPC resumes kerosene, diesel refining

    NNPC resumes kerosene, diesel refining

    The three refineries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri have resumed production of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) or  kerosene.

    The resumption of refining of the products is expected to balance the disequilibrium in demand and supply being experienced across the country.

    Speaking on the production level of the Warri refinery, the Managing Director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Engr. Solomon Ladenegan, said the plant had been doing well since the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) was revved up on Saturday.

    Ladenegan said the refinery resumed production last Saturday at about 10:22hrs, with the plant’s CDU functioning.

    He said the plant now refines 2 million litres of kerosene and 3 million litres of diesel daily.

    A statement endorsed by the General Manager, Group Public Affair Division, Ndu Ughamadu, quoted him as saying: ”This morning, we have pumped the products to PPMC and they have started loading. They are going to load up to 1 million litres of DPK and AGO. The products are there in the tank and we are doing everything to get them to the market.”

    The Managing Director, Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Dr Bafred Enjugu, said the plant was producing 3 million litres of AGO daily, in addition to millions of DPK.

    Enjugu said the operators were thrilled that the  old Port Harcourt Refinery where production of AGO was being carried out by themselves without foreign expertise deployment.

  • No kerosene in Lagos depots – NUPENG

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Saturday said there is no single drop of kerosene in any of the private depots and that of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Lagos.

    The National Chairman, Surface Tank Kerosene Peddlers (SUTAKEP) Branch of NUPENG, Mr. Rotimi Benjamin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    NAN reports that kerosene was last brought to the depots on December 27, 2016.

    Benjamin, who is also the Vice-Chairman of NUPENG, Lagos Zonal Council, said that scarcity of Kerosene had made its price to go up, thus making it unaffordable for the masses.

    He urged the Federal Government to come to the aid of the masses, who could not afford the price of cooking gas, by making kerosene available at the depots and filling stations.

    He said, “It is very sad that things are going on this way, for the past two weeks, there is no supply of kerosene to any of the depots in Lagos.

    “The two refineries in the country have not been pumping kerosene to the depots.

    “This has forced the marketers that have the product in their stations to increase the price by over 60 per cent.

    “This is not the right time for our refineries to stop kerosene production, as everybody cannot depend on gas.

    “Common man cannot afford the price of cylinder and cooking gas. Our mothers in the village depend on kerosene, an essential household commodity, to cook.

    “Government should address the issue and alleviate the sufferings of the masses by making the product available.”

     

     

  • Rough deal for kerosene customers

    Residents have been having quite an ordeal buying kerosene in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), our investigations can reveal.

    The Nation’s investigation at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega filling station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way Abuja revealed that the buyers who are mostly women come to queue up at 9am.

    On the queue were about 15 women each with about five yellow 25-liter jerry cans arranged in a not very orderly but eye-catching manner following the ingenuity with which they were tied with ropes.

    The queue endures till 10am when the station officials come to open up for business.

    The customers said that 25 litres of kerosene is sold for N4,600 while the black marketers who hang around the station sell at the rate of N5,500  and above.

    They added that the retailers sell a litre for N200 and above.

    Our correspondent learnt that in some days it is a different story altogether as women become stranded when the station refuses to sell.

    Some of the women, who told The Nation their previous experiences at the station, recalled that there were days that it was closed to customers in order to create artificial scarcity, provide room for price hikes and encourage black marketers to make brisk business.