A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun, Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, on Sunday, appealed to President Bola Tinubu, to urgently wade in in checkmating the high cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly called cooking gas in the interest of the masses.
He said the exorbitant cost of cooking gas had compelled some Nigerians to seek alternative to it by resorting to firewood and charcoal which may lead to afforestation and impact negatively on climate change.
Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, who represented Obokun State Constituency in Osun State House of Assembly, made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Osogbo.
He said although the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, on February 22, announced that the Federal Government had asked LPG producers to stop exporting the commodity, the decision had not yielded any positive results in the reduction of price of the item locally.
Oyintiloye, a former member of defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), contended that it was alarming that the cost of refiling a 12.5kg cylinder in many parts of the country now ranges between N17,500 and N18,000.
He stated: “As a result of these exorbitant prices, many LPG users who could not afford the price were gradually shifting to solid fuel like charcoal and firewood. The use of charcoal and firewood by the masses could aggravate climate change challenges and its adverse effects such as deforestation, desertification, and soil degradation could lead to erosion.
“The use of solid fuel can also lead to air pollution with carbon monoxide emitted from solid fuel, which is harmful to human beings because it binds to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing the ability of blood to carry oxygen to the body’s organs.
“This will in turn pose serious danger to the respiratory organ, fatigue, headaches, confusion, and dizziness to human system due to inadequate oxygen delivery to the brain, thereby reduces overall well-being of people, “Oyintiloye posited.
He explained that while many Nigerians were struggling to look for what to eat, the means of cooking their food should not be made difficult for them again, stressing that “I know Mr President has a listening ear and he will do something urgent about this matter.”
“The announcement by the petroleum minister(state) on the ban on the exportation of the product is a good one, but it has not started having any positive effects on the masses. The fuel subsidy removal is biting hard on the people and electricity supply is not stable. All these are impacting negatively on Nigerians and solutions should be provided without further delay,” Oyintiloye added.