Cooking Gas Price Jumps to N1,500/kg Amid Supply Challenge

The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, has reached an alarming high of N1,500/kg in some retail outlets in Ogun and Lagos States

This sharp increase has left many Nigerians struggling to afford the essential commodity, with the average price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas in Abuja rising by 41.6 per cent to N17,000 in different areas.

A market survey conducted on Sunday revealed that the price has continued to rise, with vendors in the Lokogoma area of the FCT selling cooking gas at N17,000, up from N12,000 just three months ago. In Kubwa, the product was sold between N16,200 and N16,500, while in the outskirt areas of Bwari, Kurudu, and Jikwoyi, the price stood at N1,300 per kilogram.

Suresh Kumar, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIPCO Plc, attributed the high prices to the fact that over 60 per cent of the 1.5 million metric tonnes of cooking gas consumed in Nigeria is imported. He urged the Federal Government to encourage companies like Chevron to convert more of their propane output into butane, which is more suitable for domestic use.

The Commissioner for Environment in Ogun State, Ola Oresanya, warned that many might resort to charcoal for cooking if the price of LPG continues to rise, raising concerns about the environmental impact of such a shift.

Kumar expressed optimism that the Dangote refinery and other domestic refineries would help bring down the price of cooking gas by increasing local production. He emphasized the need for substantial investments to capture and process flared gas, increasing domestic supply from the current 1.5 million MT to at least 5 million MT annually.