Some Nigerians are now paying up to ₦1,600 per kilogramme for cooking gas, a fresh increase that pushes the cost of refilling a standard 6kg cylinder past ₦9,600 in certain locations.
Market checks show the average retail price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or LPG, sits around ₦1,300 per kilogramme. But actual prices diverge sharply depending on where a buyer shops. Some gas outlets and informal sellers are charging between ₦1,500 and ₦1,600/kg, with the highest rates concentrated in areas where distribution costs run steep.
For households, the math is blunt. A consumer buying a 6kg cylinder at ₦1,600/kg spends about ₦9,600 on gas alone, before any additional charges some retailers tack on. That is a significant outlay in a country where the national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month.
The latest increase is not an isolated event. Cooking gas prices have moved upward repeatedly this year, with market reports showing different price levels across states and outlets. Each rise lands on top of the last, and households that switched to LPG for reasons of health, convenience and environmental impact are now absorbing costs that erode those gains.
Industry operators attribute the increases to a cluster of pressures. Supply challenges top the list, alongside transportation costs, exchange rate fluctuations and changes in international energy markets. Nigeria holds substantial natural gas reserves, but processing and distribution infrastructure lag, and logistics bottlenecks push up what consumers pay at the pump.
The exchange rate factor is structural. Parts of the LPG supply chain depend on imported equipment, vessels and logistics, all of which carry foreign currency-linked costs. When the naira weakens, those costs rise, and the increase transfers directly to the retail price. Gas marketers also point to global energy market pressures as a contributing force.
The timing compounds the strain. Households are already dealing with rising costs for food, transportation and other basic needs. Cooking gas now joins that list, forcing families to make harder choices about how much they cook and what they cook.
Some households have responded by reducing consumption. Others refill smaller quantities, stretching a refill across more meals or supplementing with cheaper alternatives. The behavioral shift is visible in how vendors report buying patterns, with more customers asking for partial refills rather than full cylinders.
Small businesses that depend on LPG are caught in the same squeeze. Food vendors and restaurants face higher operating expenses when gas prices climb, and those costs often pass through to customers who are already watching every naira.
The Federal Government has promoted increased LPG use as part of its push to reduce dependence on traditional cooking fuels like firewood, charcoal and kerosene, and to expand access to cleaner energy. The policy logic is sound. But affordability remains the obstacle. Rising prices undercut the adoption the government wants to encourage, and the households most likely to benefit from cleaner cooking fuels are the ones most exposed to price swings.
Prices vary widely across locations, and the gap between the official average and what consumers actually pay can be substantial. Buyers who purchase from major gas plants typically get better rates than those who depend on smaller retail outlets, where margins and transport costs inflate the final price.
With no single national price, consumers are advised to compare rates from different approved outlets before refilling. The advice is practical, but it also reflects a market where price discovery is left largely to the buyer.
According to Pulse.ng.
