Cooking gas price rises to N2,000 per kilogram amid long queues.

Stories by Peter Uzoho 

The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, has continued to rise, now reaching N2,000 per kilogram in many Lagos retail outlets, while large gas plants sell at N1,700 per kilogram.

The increase has caused long queues at filling stations and has forced many families to revert to charcoal and firewood.

THISDAY’s visit to one of Gasland’s LPG plants on LASU‑Igando Road, Lagos, revealed a long line of consumers waiting to fill their cylinders, many of whom complained about the price hike.

The company’s price board shows 2 kg for N3,400; 6 kg for N10,200; and 12.5 kg for N21,250, a sharp rise from the N12,000–N13,000 range recorded earlier in 2025. A simple calculation shows that a minimum‑wage earner spending N70,000 a month would devote more than one‑third of that income to cooking.

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), an umbrella body for cooking‑gas marketers, has warned that erratic supply and rising depot costs are driving prices beyond reach.

In a recent statement jointly signed by its National President, Edu Inyang, and Executive Secretary, Bassey Essien, NALPGAM said marketers now pay between N25.2 million and N26.2 million to purchase 20 metric tonnes of LPG from suppliers.

“The citizens of Nigeria now have to buy cooking gas, which should be a social commodity, at a prohibitive cost of over N1,500 per kilogram,” the association stated.

Economically, the association said small businesses and food vendors who rely on LPG are being squeezed out, adding that the situation has “brought untold hardship to millions of Nigerian households, small businesses, food vendors, and low‑income families.”

“With a 12.5 kg refill now costing N25,000, many consumers have suspended purchases,” it said.

NALPGAM cautioned that the situation “could trigger public unrest and undermine years of government efforts to promote clean cooking energy through increased LPG penetration.”

However, energy analysts and industry players point to three interlocking problems hindering LPG supply: insufficient offtake infrastructure, weak enforcement of reforms, and sharp practices by importers and suppliers.

Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) show that local production from refineries and gas‑processing plants accounted for the bulk of supply between April 2025 and April 2026.

Yet NMDPRA’s own data puts daily local supply at only 3,300 to 4,500 tonnes, far below the demand of Nigeria’s 237 million population.

Energy analyst Aisha Mohammed of the Centre for Development Studies warned that rising LPG prices were “bringing families back to the era of firewood and charcoal.”

She noted that smoke from charcoal and firewood causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is “very endemic to women.” Environmentalists observed that a shift back to biomass will accelerate deforestation and desertification.

Nigeria holds about 215 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, ranking ninth globally. Yet over half of its population still lacks access to clean cooking fuels.

Despite the Decade of Gas policy, last‑mile distribution, storage facilities, and enforcement of domestic supply obligations have remained weak, making it difficult for more volumes of LPG to reach consumers.