Cooking gas prices have risen sharply across parts of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as marketers warn of worsening supply shortages and rising operational costs in Nigeria’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector.
Checks on Monday showed that prices climbed to between N1,400 and N2,000 per kilogramme across several locations.
In Ikorodu, Lagos, cooking gas sold for N1,800 per kilogramme, up from N1,300 about a month ago.
At Afeeze Bus Stop in Ogba, Lagos, residents reportedly bought the product for N2,000/kg, compared to N1,500 three weeks earlier.
Consumers in Akoka, Yaba, purchased cooking gas at N1,500/kg, while residents in Ojota paid N1,400/kg.
In Ogun State, residents around the RCCG camp area in Mowe bought the product for N2,000/kg. In Owerri, Imo State, cooking gas sold for N1,500/kg.
In the Federal Capital Territory, prices also varied. Residents in Lugbe paid N1,480/kg, while consumers in Lokogoma bought cooking gas for N1,600/kg.
Marketers blame supply shortages
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) blamed the increase on supply shortages and rising operational costs.
In a joint statement signed by Edu Inyang and Bassey Effiong, the association said consumers nationwide now buy cooking gas for more than N1,500/kg.
According to the association, operators currently pay between N25.2 million and N26.2 million for a 20-metric-tonne truck of LPG, depending on the location.
“The rising cost and erratic supply of cooking gas have imposed severe hardship on households, food vendors, small businesses and low-income earners who depend on LPG for daily cooking,” the statement said.
NALPGAM warned that the crisis could reverse gains made in promoting clean cooking energy as an alternative to firewood, charcoal and kerosene.
The association also listed persistent supply shortages, high depot prices, logistics bottlenecks and rising operational costs among the major challenges affecting marketers nationwide.
It warned that without urgent intervention, the situation could worsen food inflation, force LPG businesses to shut down, trigger job losses and undermine Nigeria’s clean energy targets.
“We cannot stand by and watch millions of Nigerian families suffer in silence while access to clean cooking energy becomes increasingly unaffordable,” the statement added.
NALPGAM called on the federal government and key industry stakeholders, including the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and NNPC Limited, to urgently stabilise the LPG market.
The association also urged authorities to increase domestic gas allocation, improve product availability, reduce importation and storage bottlenecks, and introduce measures to stabilise prices.
