Nigeria's 63rd Independence Day brought an unwelcome surprise: a sudden surge in cooking gas prices. The price of a 12.5kg cylinder, around N9,000 to N10,000 in September, shot up to N12,500 in October.

This surge is alarming, and many attribute it to the removal of fuel subsidies, which has led to price increases across the board.

The President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, Olatunbosun Oladapo, had warned that without government intervention, the price of a 12.5kg cylinder could reach as high as N18,000 by December.

Terminal owners claim high foreign exchange rates justify these hikes, but critics argue they are compounding the suffering of the masses.

The concern is that this increase will force people to switch back to firewood, leading to deforestation and potentially harming wildlife. It's a distressing situation that requires urgent government attention.