Operators in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sub-sector have expressed worry, following the sharp rise in the price of cooking gas in the country, warning that the retail price could hit N2,500 per kilogramme if the supply crisis persists.

Presently, the average price across Lagos is N1,600/kg.

This is coming as most depots are empty amidst increasing domestic demand.

Checks across the Lagos metropolis, on Tuesday, showed that only three companies had commercial volumes of LPG available.

Some sources attributed the development to rising demand for the product in Lagos and other parts of the country, as more households and businesses switch to cooking gas.

Navgas sold at N1,065/kg and N1,085/kg, respectively.

Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission showed that domestic gas sales rose to 55,903.72 million standard cubic feet, MMSCF, in March 2026, from 52,300.45 MMSCF recorded in February 2026. The increase came amid higher national gas production during the period.

This is coming in less than 48 hours that operators under the auspices of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) raised serious concern over erratic supply and hike in the price of LPG, otherwise known as cooking gas.

They said the retail price of cooking gas has jumped to N1,600 per kg from 1,000 per kg in January.

Besides, the body lamented that marketers are being made to pay as much as N25,200,000 or N26,200,000, depending on location, for 20MT of cooking gas.

The association called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPC Ltd, domestic producers, terminal operators, international suppliers, and other critical stakeholders in the LPG value chain to take urgent, coordinated steps to stabilise the market before it degenerated further.

The association warned that if the situation is not immediately checked, consumers may rise against the owners of gas filling stations.

On the socio-economic implications, NALPGAM warned that if coordinated actions are not taken immediately, the crisis could trigger broader consequences, including accelerated food inflation, collapse of small-scale LPG retail businesses, job losses, reduced investor confidence, and a significant setback to Nigeria’s clean energy and climate commitments.

In what it described as a “sad situation”, the association noted that it has brought untold hardship to millions of households, small businesses, food vendors, and low-income families who rely on LPG for daily cooking and livelihood.

The association made this known in a statement on Sunday by its president, Barrister Edu Inyang and the executive secretary, Mr. Bassey Essie, respectively.

Meanwhile, some consumers, on Tuesday, said they now buy LPG at about N2,000 in Lagos-Ogun border communities.

The current hike in LPG prices is the first in 2026 and the second in seven months since October 2025, when the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria had an encounter that led to the shutdown of oil and gas assets across the country. (Nigerian Tribune)

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