Cooking Gas Hits ₦2,000/kg, HURIWA Warns Tinubu Against ‘Economic Cruelty’ to Nigerians

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised alarm over the continued rise in cooking gas prices across the country, warning that the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) reaching ₦2,000 per kilogram in some locations is worsening the hardship faced by millions of Nigerians and threatening their constitutional right to life. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the rights group expressed concern over reports that cooking gas now sells for as much as ₦2,000 per kilogram in several parts of the country. HURIWA described the development as a reflection of weak market regulation and government inaction, arguing that cooking gas, which remains a basic household necessity, is gradually becoming unaffordable for ordinary Nigerians already battling high food prices, rising transport fares and increasing electricity costs.

HURIWA condemned the sharp rise in cooking gas prices, describing the development as “economic cruelty” and warning that unchecked profiteering is undermining citizens’ constitutional right to life. The group linked the soaring cost of LPG to broader constitutional concerns, citing Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution and arguing that the right to life includes access to conditions that make survival dignified and sustainable. “The astronomical rise in the price of cooking gas is not merely an economic issue but a fundamental human rights concern. The direct consequence of making essential household energy unaffordable is mass hunger, malnutrition, disease, and avoidable deaths among vulnerable populations,” the statement said. According to HURIWA, families already grappling with high food prices, transportation costs, electricity tariffs and healthcare expenses are increasingly finding it difficult to meet basic needs. The organisation warned that many families are now being forced to make difficult choices between purchasing cooking gas and meeting other essential needs.

Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) confirms the steady upward trend in cooking gas prices across the country. According to the NBS Cooking Gas Price Watch for March 2026, the average price for refilling a 5kg cylinder rose by 12.60 percent month-on-month from ₦6,799.18 in February 2026 to ₦7,655.73 in March 2026. The average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder increased by 15.62 percent month-on-month from ₦16,997.94 in February 2026 to ₦19,652.83 in March 2026. State-level analysis shows significant regional variations. For the 12.5kg cylinder, Nasarawa recorded the highest average retail price at ₦23,418.12, followed by Kaduna at ₦23,030.52 and Akwa Ibom at ₦22,816.74. The lowest average price was recorded in Bauchi at ₦15,738.50. By zonal analysis, the North-West recorded the highest average retail prices for both cylinder sizes.

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The price surge has occurred despite increased domestic LPG production. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shows that local refineries and gas processing plants supplied the majority of the country’s LPG needs between April 2025 and April 2026. Domestic LPG supply consistently ranged between 3,300 and 4,500 tonnes per day, reaching 4,500 tonnes daily in both March and April 2026. During the same period, imports dropped sharply from 1,600 tonnes per day in November 2025 to just 200 tonnes per day in March 2026. However, greater domestic production has failed to reduce the financial burden on consumers. Cooking gas, which sold for less than ₦1,000 per kilogramme in many areas only months ago, now sells for around ₦2,000 per kilogramme in some locations.

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has shed light on the challenges driving the price surge. According to the association, marketers currently pay between N25.2 million and N26.2 million for 20 metric tonnes of LPG, depending on location. The National President of NALPGAM, Edu Inyang, and its Executive Secretary, Bassey Essien, aptly described the situation as “sad and rather very pathetic.” NALPGAM warned that the crisis is eroding years of progress made by government policies and public-private campaigns to deepen LPG penetration as a safer alternative to kerosene, firewood, and charcoal. “Millions of Nigerians embraced cooking gas under the national clean energy transition agenda. Those gains are now at risk. Households cannot refill cylinders, small businesses are folding under rising energy costs, and many families are reverting to firewood and charcoal despite serious implications for public health, environmental degradation, and deforestation,” the association said.

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HURIWA further warned that if cooking gas continues to move beyond the reach of average households, more Nigerians may resort to firewood and charcoal for cooking. It noted that such a shift could increase deforestation, worsen environmental degradation and expose families to health risks associated with smoke inhalation. The scale of the potential health crisis is alarming. According to the Voice of Nigeria, more than 160 million of Nigeria’s estimated 237 million people still lack access to clean cooking solutions. Consequently, millions depend on traditional fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and kerosene for their daily cooking needs. This dependence has devastating health implications. Reports indicate that between 80,000 and 95,000 Nigerians die prematurely every year from illnesses linked to toxic indoor air pollution caused by dirty cooking fuels. Unsafe cooking smoke has become Nigeria’s third-largest silent killer after malaria and HIV/AIDS. Any development that pushes citizens away from cleaner cooking energy should therefore be viewed as a national emergency.

Experts have attributed the surge in cooking gas prices to multiple factors. Mr Opeyemi Alabi, an economist, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East caused by the U.S.-Iran conflict have led to an increase in global Brent crude oil and LPG prices. Additionally, LPG is a globally traded commodity often priced in US Dollars, meaning fluctuations or devaluation of the Naira immediately increase the landing cost of imported gas, which still makes up a large part of Nigeria’s supply despite rising local production. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has also decried what it described as the inherent monopoly in the cooking gas value chain in Nigeria, advising the government to break the monopoly and liberalise the market with a view to enabling more operators to manage the market efficiently.

HURIWA called on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently investigate the factors driving the increase in cooking gas prices and implement measures aimed at stabilising the market. The group urged relevant regulatory agencies to identify and sanction individuals or companies engaged in exploitative pricing practices, while also advocating targeted interventions and fiscal policies to reduce the burden on consumers. “The association reiterates that governance must ultimately be measured by its impact on the lives of citizens. Any economic policy or regulatory failure that results in widespread hunger, suffering, and preventable deaths cannot be justified under any democratic system,” the statement added. The Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) has similarly recommended that the government improve domestic gas supply, support local LPG production, invest in distribution infrastructure across the country, and provide social protection measures, particularly for vulnerable households. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has yet to issue an official response to HURIWA’s allegations or the growing public outcry over cooking gas prices as of the time of this report.

Cooking Gas Hits ₦2,000/kg, HURIWA Warns Tinubu Against ‘Economic Cruelty’ to Nigerians