Converting our generator back from cooking gas to petrol // 13-06-2025.

It was a chaotic morning for the entire household. My elder brother , Nsikan who had started playing a fatherly role since the demise of our father many years ago had been stressing about the cooking gas scarcity that had been plaguing our city for about four weeks. The price had skyrocketed from 1,150 naira equivalent to 5.758 steem to 1,700 Naira equivalent to 8.513 steem per kg, making it unbearable for many families, including ours.

I remembered the fuel subsidy removal by the Nigerian government last year, which had led to a severe petrol scarcity. Many business owners, including my brother, had been forced to convert their petrol generators to cooking gas to stay afloat.

But now, the tables had turned. The gas depot workers had gone on strike, leaving many Nigerians in a state of panic. My brother had tried to stock up on cooking gas, but it was clear that it wouldn't last long.

"Yesterday, we had no choice but to convert our generator back to petrol, my brother said, shaking his head. "It's been a stressful and expensive process, but we can't afford to be without power."

I watched as the technician worked on our generator, feelinga sense of frustration wash over me. Why did we have to keep switching back and forth? Why couldn't the government just find a way to stabilize the economy?

As the technician finished up and our generator roared back to life, my brother let out a sigh of relief. "It's not ideal, but at least we have power now" he said. I nodded in agreement, knowing that this was just another challenge we had to face as Nigerians. But I couldn't help but wonder when things would finally get better.