Cooking Gas Crisis Deepens as Price Hits N1,700 Per Kilogram

Cooking Gas Crisis Deepens as Price Hits N1,700 Per Kilogram

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has raised serious concerns over the sharp increase in the price of cooking gas, warning that the persistent surge could trigger widespread public anger and possible unrest against operators of gas retail outlets across the country.

The association disclosed that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) now sells between N1,500 and N1,700 per kilogram across several parts of Nigeria, depending on location, while marketers currently pay between N25.2 million and N26.2 million for a 20-metric-tonne truckload of the product.

The development marks another major spike in the domestic cooking gas market, intensifying pressure on households already grappling with rising inflation and declining purchasing power.

Speaking on the worsening situation, NALPGAM National President, Mr. Edu Inyang, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene by stabilising supply and introducing immediate measures to halt further increases in the cost of the product.

According to him, the soaring cost of LPG has pushed millions of Nigerian households, food vendors, restaurants, bakeries, and low-income earners into severe hardship, forcing many to abandon cleaner cooking alternatives.

“It is sad and rather very pathetic to inform the general public that Nigerians have woken up to buy cooking gas, which should ordinarily be a basic household necessity, at a prohibitive cost of over N1,500 per kilogram. If this situation is not urgently addressed, citizens may rise against owners of gas filling stations out of frustration,” Inyang said.

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He attributed the sustained rise in prices to a combination of limited domestic supply allocation, rising depot prices, foreign exchange volatility, high transportation costs, terminal bottlenecks, and increasing operational expenses faced by marketers nationwide.

Industry data shows that depot prices have risen significantly in recent weeks due to supply constraints and foreign exchange challenges affecting importation, despite Nigeria’s status as one of Africa’s major natural gas producers.

Energy analysts say the country continues to face a mismatch between local LPG production and domestic market availability, as a substantial volume of gas produced locally is still tied to export commitments.

Inyang warned that the worsening price crisis is reversing gains recorded under Nigeria’s Decade of Gas Initiative, which was launched to deepen gas utilisation and encourage households to transition away from firewood, charcoal, and kerosene.

According to him, many Nigerians are already reverting to traditional cooking fuels because of affordability concerns — a trend experts say could worsen deforestation, indoor air pollution, respiratory illnesses, and environmental degradation.

The association further cautioned that if the crisis persists, it could trigger wider economic consequences, including increased food inflation, closure of small-scale LPG retail businesses, job losses across the gas distribution value chain, and declining investor confidence in the sector.

Small business operators, particularly roadside food vendors and caterers who rely heavily on cooking gas, have also raised concerns over shrinking profit margins and the possibility of transferring higher operating costs to consumers.

NALPGAM therefore called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPC Limited, domestic gas producers, terminal operators, and other critical stakeholders to urgently collaborate on market-stabilisation measures.

The association recommended increased domestic LPG supply allocation, transparent pricing mechanisms, improved distribution infrastructure, removal of importation bottlenecks, and targeted policy interventions aimed at making cooking gas more affordable and accessible to Nigerians.

Stakeholders say unless urgent steps are taken to stabilise the market, Nigeria may witness a deeper energy affordability crisis capable of undermining the country’s clean energy transition goals.

Cooking Gas Crisis Deepens as Price Hits N1,700 Per Kilogram