Some Ibadan residents have expressed concern about the rising cost of cooking gas, saying it strains household budgets and forces families to alter their diets and cooking methods.

The residents, speaking separately with journalists in Ibadan on Friday, unanimously said the situation has affected their feeding patterns and overall standard of living.

They equally called on all relevant authorities to look into the matter.

A federal civil servant, Olawumi Ajiboye, described the significant increase in the cost of refilling a 12.5 kg gas cylinder as alarming.

She said many households now rely on alternative cooking methods to meet their daily needs.

“The quantity of gas purchased no longer lasts as long as it used to, compelling my family to reduce cooking frequency and supplement gas usage with alternative appliances such as the electric hot plate,” Ms Ajiboye said.

Similarly, a multimedia content creator, Francis Oshomah, said the increase has disrupted his family budget, forcing him to buy lower quantities.

According to him, he also has to ration usage to accommodate other essential expenses.

A civil servant, Timothy Aiyepola, said the situation has become a major challenge for many households.

According to him, families now review their meal plans and reduce the frequency of preparing certain foods that require a longer cooking period.

“My family, which previously consumed beans at least twice weekly, has reduced it to once a week due to the cost implications,” Mr Aiyepola said.

He added that poor electricity supply further compounded the challenge, as families could not conveniently cook large quantities of food for freezing.

Another respondent, a state civil servant, Gbenga Awe, said he had resorted to buying smaller quantities of gas daily.

Mr Awe said that retailers now sell cooking gas at between N2,000 and N2,500 per kilogramme, depending on the location and circumstances.

According to him, the development has increased the financial burden on households, especially those with large families and frequent cooking needs.

A technology expert, Akinola Akinyemi, said he filled his 12.5 kg cylinder in March between N11,000 and N13,000 but was surprised to find it now costs N21,000.

“It was very unexpected, forcing me to reduce the quantity I was to buy. I now augment it by using an electric burner to cook, and that means my electricity bill has doubled because I am on prepaid meter mode.

“This is quite a challenge for every family at this time. We are all feeling the hit this increase has caused,” Mr Akinyemi said.

Another federal civil servant, Victoria Awolade, said that cooking gas was quickly becoming out of reach of the common man.

She said, “Some households are going back to the use of charcoal to survive. We are supposed to have gas as a by-product; I don’t understand why it is expensive.

“Everything still goes back to the table of the government because the suffering is becoming more and more unbearable for Nigerians, which ought not to be.

“It is becoming more obvious that some people are gaining from the pain of the masses. The people have to ration the number of times they cook; some, once a day or once in two days, if possible. It is sad, and we don’t know how long this will continue.”

(NAN)