Residents of Ado Ekiti, on Friday, decried the recent hike in the price of cooking gas, saying that the government should address the development.

A resident, Segun Adekunle, said that the hike in the price of cooking gas was quite alarming, especially given the fact that no reason had been given for the increase.

He questioned how the price could have moved from N3,000 to N7,000 for a 12.5kg cylinder within the span of a few months, saying that the development had compounded the hardship in Ado Ekiti, as he now used firewood and charcoal for cooking.

“Cooking with firewood is dangerous to the health,” he, however, complained.

Another resident, Bunmi Ajisafe, a trader, expressed worry over the continuous increase in the price of cooking gas, noting that the hike had further worsened the economy of her family.

Mrs Ajisafe said she was surprised at the astronomical increase in the price of commodities these days, not only gas.

”It is so frustrating that you are not sure of the next price you would meet when you go to the market. I am really worried and surprised. I thought Nigeria is a country with an abundance of gas,” she said.

She appealed to the federal government to urgently intervene, otherwise, she may have to return to the use of a kerosene stove, charcoal or firewood.

A civil servant, Tope Ogunfowokan, said that Nigerians were yet to recover from the hardship brought on by COVID-19 which crippled many businesses and rendered many people jobless.

Mrs Ogunfowokan also said she remembered there was a time the federal government was campaigning for citizens to key into cooking with gas.

“Many people did nothing to that effect, but people gradually keyed into it. Then the present gas situation; it is frustrating and unimaginable and the government should intervene,” she said.

A gas dealer, Micheal Ogunsakin, said all he had to say was that the whole hike simply had to do with the government.