Marketers of domestic gas have predicted that prices of the product could skyrocket beyond the high rates it is already been sold for, unless proactive measures are put in place by the the Federal Government to address the problem.
The marketers who stated this in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, warned that market forces within and outside the country may push the price of the 12.5kg gas cylinder mostly used by many Nigerian households to as much as above 12, 000 Naira.
For many Nigerian families who are battling to hold their heads above water amid rising inflation, increase in the cost of domestic gas by more than 200 per cent within less than a year comes with serious challenges.
A Yenagoa-based gas marketer, Indutimi Komonibo and others while reacting on the issue explained that the situation could worsen, leading to a scenario where many homes may not able afford cooking gas, particularly during the yuletide.
Among other suggestions, the respondents called on the Federal Government to fix and expand existing gas producing infrastructure to meet up local demand.
Nigerians have been compelled to pay as much as 800 Naira per Kilogram for the product, a situation analysts blamed on the 7.5 per cent Value-Added Tax on imported gas and other market forces.