Nigerians turn to gas to power generators as petrol prices soar

When he first heard about Nigeria's fuel subsidy removal and saw the petrol price triple, Justice Ojah thought he would stop using a generator, which powers his two-storey house in Abuja, to save on bills.

The 26-year-old entrepreneur has been relying on petrol to escape frequent power cuts before the West African country removed the popular but costly subsidy. President Bola Tinubu's bold decision forced Ojah and other Nigerians to seek cheaper alternatives.

“I saw an advert and called a technician who changed my carburettor to this new hybrid carburettor,” Ojah said.

It cost him about 50,000 naira (about R1,100) to replace the device, which allows him to easily switch between liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as propane, and petrol, a major improvement in terms of cost.

“Where I fill my 12.5kg gas cylinder, it is 12,000 naira, and that will give me an average of 40 hours,” Ojah said, adding that petrol for the same amount of hours would cost at least 50,000 naira.

Alabi Oluwaseun, a mechanic in Lagos who converts generators to run on gas, said he worked for 20 households last month and is in talks with more clients.

Despite the popularity of the service, Oluwaseun said he was concerned about the security and durability of the gas carburettor, which has been on the market for less than two months.

“This cylinder now, you have to take it away from heat because this hose we are using is rubber. If it melts and gas escapes, it might cause fire,” he said.

The other concern is that gas burns more quickly because it is lighter than petrol, said Kelvin Emmanuel, an analyst at Dairy Hills, a public policy consulting firm.

Despite these issues, higher fuel prices, based on crude oil prices and exchange rates, will contribute to the switch to gas, he added.

“We are expecting the consumption of LPG per capita is going to increase in Nigeria,” Emmanuel said.

Reuters