Rising costs of cooking gas and other household fuels have forced many Nigerian families to revert to alternative cooking methods such as charcoal, firewood, and sawdust, Daily Trust findings reveal.
The price of cooking gas has surged to between N1,600 and N2,500 per kilogram, depending on the source, with many retail outlets struggling to maintain supply. This has left average households scrambling for cheaper options.
Firewood, once considered a low-cost alternative, now sells for as much as N1,000 per bundle, while 50kg of wood charcoal goes for between N13,000 and N20,000. Briquette charcoal, which lasts longer, is priced above N50,000. Kerosene, which previously sold for N80 per litre, now costs between N2,000 and N2,500, further compounding the crisis.
In response, many families have turned to sawdust—a material once freely available but now in high demand. Mrs. Racheal Durotimi, a herb seller, said she constructed a stove-like container to use sawdust for cooking.
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“I bought two big bags of sawdust for N500. That’s what I use now. Charcoal of N2,000 finished in no time. The other type that lasts longer is too expensive,” she said.
Mr. Innocent Ogbei, a bricklayer, shared a similar experience. “I couldn’t find kerosene anywhere. I had to call a friend at the sawmill to send me a bag of sawdust. That’s what I’ll use until the government addresses this issue,” he said.
He blamed the situation on the removal of subsidy during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, which made kerosene unaffordable for many Nigerians.
Mrs. Hawa Monday, a small-scale snack vendor, said she had to switch to sawdust after struggling to find cooking gas. “To get gas now is by connection. I bought sawdust for N2,000 to fry my snacks. Charcoal doesn’t last anymore unless you buy the expensive briquettes,” she said.
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Oladapo Olatunbosun, attributed the price hike to temporary supply disruptions and market exploitation by some operators.
As the cost of conventional cooking fuels continues to rise, many Nigerians are left with few options, relying on crude methods to keep their kitchens running.