Marketers blame terminal operators for gas price hike.

Gas marketers under the platform, the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers have blamed the terminal operators for the high cost of gas in the country.

President of the (NLPGM) Oladapo Olatunbosun raised the allegation on Monday at the National Assembly at a session with the Senate Committee on Gas.

Olatunbosun who commended the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas for consistent and uninterrupted supply alleged that certain marketers who procure at cheap rate have constituted themselves into a cabal and now decide the price of LPG to the detriment of the average Nigerian consumer.

He said: 'The Cabals are making it difficult for the average Nigerian to have access to gas. As of today, gas is sold by these terminal owners for N16.8m for 20 metric tonnes whereas NNLG sells to them for a little bit less than N9m.

'Some of them are NAVGas, NIPCOPLC, Matrix Energy ltd, Prudent Energy Ltd, Shafa Energy, Techno Gas, StockGap Ltd, Mobil, Pan Ocean Limited, NNPC, OLogbo, NSPC Apapa, SHELL, Dozzy LPG terminal.

'When people go to fill their gas today, the least they get is N1,200 per KG imagine the pain of Nigerians. In the Nigeria of today, can a student or menial worker afford to cook a cup of beans with a N1,200 cost of gas.'

The marketer explained to the Senate that Nigerians have no reason to buy gas at exhibiting price.

Olatunbosun who noted that given the volume of gas reserves and production in Nigeria, the LPG should be cheaper, relative to other countries in the region but maintained that the terminal operators give all sort of flimsy excuses including the foreign exchange transaction to justify their incessant price hike.

'Even countries like Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and the rest are no match to Nigerians in terms of gas production, but the prices of gas in Nigeria is cheaper in those countries that here where we are the second largest producer of the gas production in Africa after Algeria, yet our people cannot afford to cook with gas.

'We produce gas more than we import, in fact, the proportion imported is so insignificant, but these cabals have refused to allow Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of this production and the efforts put in by the government.

'These cabals have also made the practice of hiding behind forex but the question is does NNLG get paid in dollars, No. All the transactions are completed in naira. What is the role of forex in this situation? Where is import evidence?

'You buy gas for N9m from NNLG and pay in...