TheCable

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asked President Bola Tinubu to proffer solutions to the high cost of cooking gas in the country.

Speaking to journalists in Osogbo, Osun state capital, on Sunday, Oyintiloye, said the cost of cooking gas is becoming unbearable for the masses.

He said the cost of refiling a 12.5kg cylinder of gas in many parts of the country now ranges between N17,500 and N18,000

He said the directive of the federal government to producers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to stop exporting the commodity is yet to have any positive impact in the reduction of prices locally.

“I know that Mr. President has a listening ear, and he will do something urgent about this matter,” Oyintiloye said.

“The announcement by the petroleum minister (state) on the ban on the exportation of the product is a good one, but it has not started having any positive effects on the masses.

“The fuel subsidy removal is biting hard on the people, and the electricity supply is not stable.

“All these are impacting negatively on Nigerians, and solutions should be provided without further delay.

“All relevant and critical stakeholders must join hands with the president to tackle the challenges in the oil and gas industry.

“Rising prices of the item might be as a result of LPG producers secretly exporting the products.”

He said the use of solid fuels like charcoal and firewood as alternatives to cooking gas is detrimental to the environment and aggravates climate change challenges.

“The use of solid fuel can also lead to air pollution with carbon monoxide emitted from solid fuel, which is harmful to human beings because it binds to haemoglobin in the blood, reducing the ability of blood to carry oxygen to the body’s organs,” he warned.

“This will in turn pose danger to the respiratory organ, fatigue, headaches, confusion, and dizziness to the human system due to inadequate oxygen delivery to the brain, thereby reducing the overall well-being of people.

“Human beings depend on green plants for our daily supply of oxygen while giving back carbon dioxide to the plants.

“In an attempt to substitute clean cooking gas for firewood and charcoal by cutting down green trees, this will affect human survival.”

Oyintiloye commended the president for stabilising the naira against the dollar, urging Nigerians to support Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.