Cooking gas prices in Nigeria have surged to as high as ₦1,500 per kilogram amid worsening shortages of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), with marketers warning that the situation could trigger nationwide hardship if urgent action is not taken.
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), in a statement issued on Sunday, raised alarm over what it described as the “erratic supply and hike in price” of cooking gas across the country.
According to the association, marketers are now forced to pay between ₦25.2 million and ₦26.2 million for 20 metric tonnes of LPG, depending on the location, a development they say has pushed retail prices beyond the reach of average Nigerians.
“It is sad and rather very pathetic to inform the general public that the citizens of Nigeria have woken up to buy cooking gas, which should be a social item at a prohibitive cost of over ₦1,500 per kg,” the statement read.
NALPGAM warned that the rising prices and scarcity have brought severe hardship to millions of households, food vendors, small businesses, and low-income earners who depend on LPG for daily cooking and livelihood.
The association also expressed fears that if the situation continues unchecked, frustrated consumers could direct their anger at gas retail outlets across the country.
“We feel that if the situation is not immediately checked, the citizens may rise against the owners of gas filling stations,” the marketers stated.
The group attributed the crisis to persistent supply shortages, high depot prices, logistics bottlenecks, and increasing operational costs faced by LPG marketers nationwide.
According to NALPGAM, the current crisis threatens years of progress made by the Federal Government and private sector players in promoting clean cooking energy as an alternative to kerosene, charcoal, and firewood.
The marketers lamented that many families are now struggling to refill their gas cylinders, forcing some households to return to the use of firewood and charcoal despite the environmental and health risks associated with dirty cooking fuels.
“While millions of Nigerians have embraced cooking gas as a result of the national clean energy transition agenda, it is sad to state that those gains are at risk,” the association said.
NALPGAM further warned that the worsening LPG situation could fuel food inflation, lead to job losses, weaken investor confidence, and negatively impact Nigeria’s clean energy and climate commitments.
The association called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), domestic producers, terminal operators, and other stakeholders to urgently intervene in the sector.
Among its demands, the group urged authorities to improve LPG availability nationwide, increase domestic gas allocation, reduce importation and distribution bottlenecks, stabilise retail prices, and invest in storage and distribution infrastructure.
NALPGAM reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with regulators and industry stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions that would guarantee affordable and stable LPG supply across Nigeria.
“We cannot stand by and watch millions of Nigerian families suffer in silence while access to clean cooking energy becomes increasingly difficult and unaffordable,” the statement added.