Product scarcity resurfaces in Kano

Kerosine scarcity has resurfaced in Kano and its environs, forcing consumers to resort to using coal and firewood for their daily cooking.

The situation had deteriorated in the last one week, forcing residents who could afford, to buy the product at exorbitant prices.

NAN reports that the situation was compounded by non-availability of the commodity at most filling stations in the metropolis.

Some of the retailers told NAN that for the past one week, no filling station in the metropolis sold the product.

One of the sellers at Tarauni market, Malam Mohammed Aminu, said even those with old stock had jerked up the price by about 200 per cent due to its scarcity.

A consumer, Malam Annas Abba-Dala, said a four litre gallon of kerosine now go for N1, 600 as against N800.

Even today (Sunday) I bought a gallon of the product at N1, 600 as against N800,” he said.

Another customer, Malam Garba Ahmad, said he had since switched to the use of charcoal until the situation improves.

“With this recession and the current price of Kerosine, men with large families cannot afford to buy it.

“So, people like us have to resort to the use of charcoal or firewood as an alternative though their prices has also increased slightly due to high demand," he added.

A filling station attendant on Audu Bako way said, “the owner of this filling station stopped bringing the product when a litre was sold at N230”.

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Effort to contact the state Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Bashir Dan-Malam, failed as his mobile phone was switched off.

NAN recalls that the last time Kano State experienced similar scarcity was in July 2016, when a four litre gallon of the commodity sold for N1,000 at the black market.