Business
Rising Cost Of Tomato: Households Adopt Weird Alternatives To Make Stew
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
Nigerians are coming to terms with the rising cost of living, as everyday spews out new problems deserving a survival strategy.
One of such problems is the high price of tomato, pepper and onion.
These combos can’t be exempted from 80 per cent of Nigerian delicacies.
But now, it is no longer new that a N1,000 tomato consisting of five medium-sized pieces can not prepare a full pot of sauce for a household of three people for a week.
Vanguard found that many women have been struggling with various methods to complement rice, yam and other delicacies that are not complete without stew.
For Mrs. Gladys Maxwell, a tailor, she made use of N1,000 cucumber to complement her yam and rice sauce, after watching a presentation of such online.
“I have tried using cucumber to prepare sauce, just like tomato.
“I saw the demonstration on-line and followed the steps.
“I added fresh pepper and used palm oil to make it red in colour.
“It was good. My pot was full. Imagine replacing tomato sauce with cucumber mix.
“Cucumber is also vegetable.
“I had to tell a friend to adopt the strategy.
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“I made my family to finish the meal before I revealed the combination that made the sauce on their rice. They were surprised.
“It’s good we try new things to survive in this country, because I doubt the price of tomato and peppers will come down soon.”
Mrs. Hannah Mayowa, a Point of Sale, PoS, agent, said she tried replacing tomato sauce with cabbage and beetroot.
“I was with a friend a few weeks ago. I complained bitterly about how I struggle to manage money to prepare tomato sauce weekly for my family.
“You know that many families in Nigeria, especially Lagos State, have this tradition of preparing rice and tomato sauce every Sunday.
“My family happened to fall into such a category.
“My friend told me to try cucumber or cabbage and beetroot stew.
“She sent the videos to me and I decided to do that of carrot and beetroot.
“After boiling and blending them, the outcome was like the sachet tomato paste we buy in the market.
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“I was shocked and at the same time happy that I found a solution to my worries with just N2,000.
“I have tried using carrot but the taste I don’t like and it makes my last child visit the toilet a lot.
“I pray the price of tomato drops. There is nothing like it when preparing sauce.”
Mrs. Modupeoluwa Adebowale, a trader, said she had a taste of cucumber sauce and doesn’t like it.
She added: “I decided to use our old solution which was the use of dried habanero pepper. I soaked it till it softened and blended it with enough onion to fine-tune its taste. Then I add sachet tomato paste. My sauce is ready.
“The habanero pepper is known to thicken sauce.”
However, the replacement of tomatoes using other alternatives for preparing sauce has affected tomato sellers and grinders in the market.
Mrs. Rahimot Mojeed, a fresh tomato seller, said: “Since the price of tomato and pepper increased, sales have dropped.
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“Before, when there was a drop in supply of tomatoes due to the out of season effect, people still managed to buy.
“But now, there is nothing like that. I heard people now use cucumber, carrot and cabbage to prepare sauce the most. Some even use “ata gbigbe” meaning dry habanero pepper and sachet tomato paste to prepare stew for rice.
“I now buy tomatoes in little quantities because it is a perishable good and it’s now expensive. When it softens, it will result in a huge loss for me as there’s less patronage.”
Miss Patience Oboh, a pepper grinder said she patronized the market asking those buying tomatoes to allow her to blend it for a N200 fee.
“In a day, I have up to 20 people who I blend tomatoes for.
“Since the price of tomatoes increased, I hardly get 10 customers.
“I now have to roam the market searching for those who are interested in blending their tomatoes of which many decline saying,
“I will use my blender at home. The way tomatoes are expensive now, I can’t allow your machine to consume half of it all in the name of blending.”
“It is a phase. I believe it will pass.”
SOURCE: VANGUARD
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Business
NNPCL Reduces Fuel Price After Dangote Refinery’s Adjustment
Published
2 weeks agoon
August 14, 2025By
Editor
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has reduced its premium motor spirit pump price on Thursday, according to DAILY POST.
It was confirmed that NNPCL retail outlets in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have reduced their pump price to N890 per litre from N945.
This new fuel price has been reflected in NNPCL retail outlets such as mega station Danziyal Plaza, Central Area, Wuse Zone 4, Wuse Zone 6, and other of its filling stations in the nation’s capital.
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The latest downward review of fuel price in NNPCL outlets represents an N55 reduction in fuel pump price.
“It was reduced to N890 per litre this afternoon, down from N945,” an NNPCL fuel attendant told DAILY POST anonymously on Thursday.
This comes a Nigerian filling station, MRS Empire Energy, on Thursday adjusted their fuel pump price to N885 and N946 per litre, down from N910 and N955 per litre.
The latest fuel price reduction trend is unconnected to Dangote Refinery’s ex-depot petrol price adjustment by N30 to N820 per litre from N850 and the price of crude oil in the international market.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the ex-depot (gantry) price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, commonly known as petrol, by N30, from N850 to N820 per litre, effective from August 12, 2025.
This was disclosed in a statement by the company’s spokesman, Anthony Chijiena, on Tuesday.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day plant said the move is part of its unwavering commitment to national development, assuring the public of a consistent and uninterrupted supply of petroleum products.
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“In line with our dedication to operational excellence and sustainable energy solutions, Dangote Petroleum Refinery will commence the phased deployment of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks for fuel distribution across Nigeria, effective August 15, 2025,” said Chijiena.
The announcement comes as the refinery prepares to commence direct fuel distribution nationwide. The development is expected to lead petroleum product marketers to reduce their pump prices in the coming days.
In Abuja, the retail fuel price stood between N885 and N970 per litre as of Tuesday evening.
Business
Indian Refiners Abandon Russia For Nigerian Crude, As Dangote Refinery Relies On US
Published
2 weeks agoon
August 11, 2025By
Editor
India Refineries have abandoned Russian crude for Nigerian crude, while domestic refiner Dangote Refinery relies heavily on West Texas Intermediate crude from the United States of America.
This followed a recent sanction threat by US president Donald Trump on India over continued patronage of Russian crude.
According to Reuters, industry sources said that Indian Oil Corporation recently bought one million barrels of Nigeria’s Agbami crude for September 2025 delivery in a tender awarded to global trader Trafigura.
Also included are one million barrels of Angola Girassol, one million barrels of US Mars, three million barrels of Abu Dhabi Murban, and two million barrels of Nigerian oil, according to Reuters.
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The report noted that the purchase is part of a broader sourcing spree that has seen Indian refiners secure millions of barrels from non-Russian sources post July 2025.
Meanwhile, Indian refiners secured purchases of Nigerian crude grades; the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, is relying on around 60 percent on US and other imoorts to feed its processing units.
Data showed that the refinery imported an average of 10 million barrels in July 2025, saying it was increasingly relying on the US for its feedstock despite the naira-for-crude deal with the Federal Government, which kicked off in October last year.
According to Reuters, the Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum have bought a million barrels of non-Russian crude billed for delivery in September and October after the US pressured India to halt purchases from Russia.
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Indian state refiners had been largely absent from the Nigerian crude market spotlight since 2022; they have in the past concentrated on Russian crude amid the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, the Indian refiners paused Russian purchases in late July 2025 after pressure from US President Donald Trump.
On the part of Dangote Refinery, data from commodities analytics firm Kpler showed that in July, US barrels accounted for about 60 percent of Dangote’s 590,000 barrels per day of crude intake, with Nigerian grades making up the remaining 40 percent.
In July, the Dangote refinery’s crude imports surged to a record 590 kbd—driven largely by US barrels overtaking Nigerian supply for the first time—amid ongoing domestic sourcing challenges, Kpler reports.
“While WTI has held a significant share in Dangote’s import slate since March, this is the first time US crude has overtaken Nigerian supply—a shift driven by several factors,” Kpler stated.
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