{"id":1567,"date":"2026-07-15T10:19:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1567"},"modified":"2026-07-15T10:19:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:19:45","slug":"rising-gas-and-fuel-prices-deepen-hardship-for-students-in-abraka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1567","title":{"rendered":"Rising Gas and Fuel Prices Deepen Hardship for Students in Abraka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ifeoma Victoria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rising prices of cooking gas and petrol are worsening the cost of living for students and residents in Abraka, forcing many to cut spending on food, transportation, and other essential needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Findings by this reporter show that the price of cooking gas has increased significantly, rising from about \u20a61,400 per kilogram to between \u20a61,700 and \u20a62,000, depending on the location. Residents attributed the increase to higher fuel prices, rising transportation costs, and supply challenges affecting gas dealers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking with this reporter, a student, Miss Chioma, expressed frustration over the persistent increase in prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The last time I bought cooking gas, it was \u20a61,400, but now it sells for between \u20a61,700 and \u20a62,000. The increase in fuel prices has made transportation more expensive, and that is affecting the cost of gas. Even retailers buy at higher prices from suppliers, but it is still difficult for us as students to cope,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chioma noted that gas retailers should not be blamed entirely, as they also face rising wholesale prices and irregular supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food vendors are equally feeling the impact of the rising cost of cooking gas. Many said they have been forced to adjust their businesses in order to remain operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have reduced the quantity of food I prepare because I need to manage the cost of gas. Every time I refill my cylinder, the price has increased again, and it is becoming difficult to sustain the business,” one food vendor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The increase in petrol prices has also driven up transportation costs within the university community. Students who rely on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as okada<\/em>, now pay higher fares to travel between their hostels, campus, and other parts of Abraka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resident, Mr. Efe, attributed the increase in fuel prices to broader economic factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Fuel has become more expensive because of supply challenges, the high cost of importation, and government policies. Once the price of fuel goes up, everything else, including cooking gas and transportation, also becomes more expensive,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A commercial motorcycle rider defended the increase in transport fares, saying operators were only responding to the rising cost of fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am not increasing transport fares deliberately. Fuel is more expensive now, and if I don’t charge more, I won’t be able to keep operating. The situation is affecting both riders and passengers,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Abraka remains a predominantly student community, the continuous rise in the prices of cooking gas and petrol is placing increasing pressure on the cost of living. Many students said they now spend more on basic necessities, while others have reduced the number of meals they eat or cook less frequently in an effort to manage their expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents believe that improving the supply of petroleum products and addressing the factors driving fuel price increases would help stabilise the prices of cooking gas and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If the government can ensure a steady supply of fuel and cooking gas, prices will come down and life will become easier for students and other low-income earners,” Miss Chioma said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the cost of living continues to rise, residents are calling on the relevant authorities to implement measures that will ease the burden on households and improve the welfare of students and other vulnerable members of the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ifeoma Victoria The rising prices of cooking gas and petrol are worsening the cost of living for students and residents in Abraka, forcing many to cut spending on food, transportation, and other essential needs. Findings by this reporter show that the price of cooking gas has increased significantly, rising from about \u20a61,400 per kilogram […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":53,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[31,25,288,418,314],"class_list":["post-1567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-gas-prices","tag-hardship","tag-inflation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1567"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1571,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567\/revisions\/1571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}