Cooking Gas Price Hits N25,000 in Nigeria as Shortage Deepens

Households across Nigeria are grappling with rising hardship as the price of refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas, soared to N25,000 this week, up from N17,500 last week.

Market checks revealed that 1kg of cooking gas now sells between N1,500 and N2,000, depending on location.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Bassey Essien, told Vanguard that the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) disrupted distribution, worsening the shortage.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery is currently the highest local supplier of cooking gas in Nigeria. The crisis involving PENGASSAN scuttled distribution. Many dealers could not replenish their stocks during the period. What we are witnessing is a function of demand and supply. But supply would likely stabilise in the coming days, following resolution of the conflict,” Essien explained.

Across Lagos and surrounding areas, many gas plants were shut due to lack of stock, forcing consumers to move from one outlet to another in search of LPG.

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, recently disclosed that the refinery is producing 2,000 tonnes of LPG daily, with plans to increase supply to bridge national demand. He also raised concerns about energy poverty in Nigeria, saying:

“If the distributors are not trying to bring it down, we’ll go directly and sell to consumers so that people will now transit from firewood or kerosene to LPG for cooking.”

Before Dangote Refinery’s intervention, Nigeria’s domestic LPG needs were largely met by the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited. According to the company, all of its Butane production — commonly used as cooking gas — has been fully dedicated to the domestic market since 2022.

NLNG stated: “We have steadily increased the volume reserved for the domestic market. To get cooking gas to Nigerian homes efficiently, NLNG supplies Butane to selected partners through approved coastal LPG terminals in Lagos and Rivers States, with expansion plans for Delta State and beyond. We have also chartered a dedicated vessel to ensure reliable delivery.”

Despite these efforts, demand continues to outpace supply, leaving households to bear the brunt of skyrocketing prices.

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