A recent analysis of the 2024 Nigeria Demand Side Survey Report reveals that Nigerians spent a staggering N826 billion on charcoal and firewood over the past year. This figure exceeds the country’s annual expenses on cooking gas.
The breakdown of the expenditure shows that N608.72 billion went toward fuelwood, while N218.2 billion was spent on charcoal. According to the report, Nigerians bought approximately 1.40 billion kilograms of fuelwood, with an additional 28.29 billion kilograms collected or cut by users. On average, 1,038.40 kilograms of fuelwood was sold each year.
In urban regions, the sale of fuelwood generated around N5.93 billion, while rural areas saw sales reaching N10.27 billion. Annual spending on purchased firewood was estimated at N262.2 billion in urban locations and N346.4 billion in rural areas.
For charcoal, 4.51 billion kilograms were purchased, with an average annual production of around 4,989.62 kilograms. Spending on charcoal alone was valued at N218.2 billion per year, with an average expenditure of N79,343 per household on purchased charcoal.
These figures collectively surpass the amount spent on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, by Nigerians. The data reveals that N312 billion was spent annually on LPG, with rural areas contributing N49.8 billion and urban areas accounting for N262.4 billion.
The rising cost of cooking gas under President Bola Tinubu’s administration has triggered widespread concerns among Nigerians as households increasingly turn to alternative fuels like firewood and charcoal.
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