Residents lament high cost of kerosene in Ilorin

RESIDENTS of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital are now groaning over high price of kerosene as a litre of the commodity now costs N260.

Tribune Online investigations gathered that price of kerosene had risen from its pre- Christmas price of N190 to N260.

It was also gathered that many filling stations in the state capital dispensed a litre of kerosene at N260, while some attendants spoken with attributed the development to exchange rate and scarcity of forex.

One of the attendants said that it was becoming difficult for petroleum marketers to cope with the situation, adding that the only option left was to sell the commodity in accordance with the dictates of the inflation.

“People have been coming here and each time we tell them that a litre of kerosene is N260, they will just ask why is it that the price has gone high. They have forgotten that we sell in line with what we got in the market.

“We can’t just sell because we want to make money. It is no longer news that people are passing through hard time, and it is unfair to add to the problem.

“As you can see, the exchange rate has become very scarce, it is getting worse daily. And it is from this money that dealers used to import kerosene into the country,” he said.

Some filling stations visited along Murtala Mohammed Way, Fate Road, New Yidi Road and Asa-Dam Road, all in Ilorin sold at same price of N260 per litre.

According to some other attendants the increment in price of the commodity was caused by inflation.

Some residents of the town lamented the situation and urged the Federal Government to quickly address the issue in order to cushion the effect of the price upsurge on the users.

They expressed disgust that the domestic cooking substance was getting out of the reach of the commoners who use it for their daily cooking.