Lagos, Nigeria – Na today wahala don show as Alhaji Aliko Dangote, di oga for Dangote Group, don announce say e go reduce cooking gas price. E don dey plan to sell di gas directly to consumers if di gas distributors no gree allow price drop (talk about taking matters into your own hands, abi?).
During one recent tour wey him do for him refinery, Dangote yarn say di current price of cooking gas dey too high for di average Nigerian wey still dey use firewood to cook. As e take talk am, na 22,000 tonnes of LPG him refinery dey produce everyday, and dem dey try step am up just in time for Nigerians wey wan switch from di old way of cooking.
“Di one wey we no write, wey una go don see, na LPG,” he talk. “Right now we dey produce about 2,000 tonnes per day, but I believe say e dey too expensive. We dey plan to bring down di price make e more affordable,” he explain. He no mince words as he talk say if di distributors no fit cooperate, na direct sales we go see from him side.
But e no be all sweet talk, as di gas operators for di market don begin show their two left feet. Dem dey fear say Dangote wan turn di LPG market to im personal playground. Godwin Okoduwa, former chairman for di LPG and Natural Gas Downstream Group come dey shout say dis kind plans fit create monopoly for di sector.
“Market suppose dey protected to help growth,” Okoduwa talk. “LPG industry don grow from 70,000 metric tonnes for 2007 to over 1 million for 2022. Dis kind growth no fit happen without collaboration.” (If dem no gree work together, how dem go expect progress? Na true matter!)
Okoduwa dey beg say, “E no suppose be zero-sum strategy. Everybody suppose fit benefit. If Dangote fit work with us, e go better for all.” Dis gas expert even carry mouth talk say make Dangote try face di Northeast area where LPG consumption dey low, instead of just dropping price for di main market.
Meanwhile, di Executive Secretary of di Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Bassey Essien, don doubt di feasibility of Dangote selling gas directly to consumers. “E no realistic,” Essien throw ground, “how far we don reach with petrol? E no dey happen yet.”
