Key points
- Nigerians may face higher cooking gas prices as supply shortages worsen across major cities.
- LPG marketers say the supply situation has deteriorated rather than improved in recent weeks.
- The cost of 20 metric tonnes of LPG has reportedly risen to between N29.5 million and N30 million.
- Retail prices have climbed to between N1,800 and N2,000 per kilogram in parts of Lagos, Ogun, and Ondo states.
- Industry operators blame the shortage partly on reduced domestic supply and a widening demand-supply gap.
- Marketers warn that the scarcity could persist unless supply challenges are addressed.
Main story
Nigerians may be forced to pay even more for cooking gas as a worsening supply crisis continues to drive up prices across several parts of the country.
Despite expectations that market conditions would improve, stakeholders say the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, has continued to rise amid tightening supply.
The situation is particularly pronounced in Lagos, Ogun, and parts of Ondo State, where consumers are already grappling with elevated prices and inconsistent product availability.
Speaking on the development, the President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGM), Edu Iyang, said the market had experienced further deterioration, with marketers now paying between N29.5 million and N30 million for 20 metric tonnes of LPG.
Checks across several retail outlets indicate that the average price of cooking gas currently ranges from N1,800 to N2,000 per kilogram, depending on location, transportation costs, and prevailing demand.
Consumers are already feeling the impact. While some residents reported purchasing cooking gas at lower prices before the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, others say prices have risen sharply within a matter of days.
Market operators attribute the trend to persistent supply constraints, which have significantly reduced the volume of LPG available for distribution nationwide.
The issues
The worsening LPG supply situation raises fresh concerns about energy affordability for millions of households that depend on cooking gas for daily domestic use.
Industry stakeholders warn that prolonged shortages could further strain household budgets, especially at a time when many Nigerians are already grappling with high living costs and inflationary pressures.
The situation has also exposed vulnerabilities within the domestic LPG supply chain. According to industry sources, import volumes dropped significantly after local production expanded in 2025, reducing the market’s dependence on imports.
However, with domestic supply reportedly falling short of demand, the market is now struggling to compensate for the shortfall, creating supply gaps that continue to push prices upward.
Analysts say unless supply improves substantially, consumers may continue to face elevated cooking gas prices in the coming months.
What’s being said
“The situation has not improved, but rather growing worse. The price of the product keeps increasing. Of course, it’s what we bought that we would sell. The situation is not funny,” Edu Iyang said.
“Importation by other sources reduced drastically when Dangote took the market by storm with the quantity the refinery was putting into the market, even the effect it had in reducing the price of LPG to the extent that marketers and the entire value chain were singing his praises,” a NALPGM executive stated.
“But today Dangote is bedeviled with production glitches and also meeting other contractual demands even outside the country that its LPG contribution is no longer significant to make any meaningful impact in the domestic market,” the industry source added.
“The marketers only sell as they buy, if at all they see any to buy. There is no LPG,” the source stressed.
What’s next
Industry stakeholders are expected to intensify engagements with regulators, suppliers, and policymakers in a bid to stabilise the LPG market and improve product availability.
Attention will also be on domestic producers and importers as consumers look for signs of improved supply that could ease pricing pressures.
In the short term, however, market watchers say prices are likely to remain elevated unless significant volumes are injected into the market.
Bottom line
Nigeria’s cooking gas market is facing mounting pressure from worsening supply shortages, pushing prices to record levels and raising concerns over affordability for households and businesses. Unless supply conditions improve quickly, consumers may have to brace for even higher LPG prices in the weeks ahead.
