By Monsurat Abisoye
Households in several parts of Nigeria are beginning to experience relief as the retail price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, declines following improved product availability and lower depot prices.
According to market data from gas marketers, retail prices have started falling in major cities, although prices still vary due to transportation costs, distance from supply depots and retailer margins.
Cooking gas currently sells for between N1,100 and N1,350 per kilogramme in Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta. Consumers in Benin City, Port Harcourt and Warri pay between N1,150 and N1,400/kg, while prices in Onitsha and Enugu range from N1,200 to N1,450/kg. In Abuja, prices stand between N1,250 and N1,500/kg.
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Edu Inyang, said prices are generally higher in the North. Consumers in Kano and Kaduna pay between N1,300 and N1,550/kg, while those in Maiduguri and parts of the North-East pay between N1,350 and N1,650/kg due to higher transportation and logistics costs.
Inyang said the national retail price range is now about N1,100 to N1,650 per kilogramme, although some neighbourhood retailers still charge above this range where distribution costs remain elevated.
He attributed the decline to improved supply from local production and imports, lower depot prices, increased competition among marketers and the end of panic buying and hoarding that previously tightened supply.
Based on current prices, refilling a 5kg cylinder now costs between N5,500 and N8,250, while a 6kg cylinder costs between N6,600 and N9,900. A standard 12.5kg cylinder refill ranges from N13,750 to N20,625, depending on location and retailer.
Despite the improvement, marketers warned that prices have not fully stabilised nationwide and that communities located far from major LPG depots may continue to pay more because of transportation expenses.
The National Chairman of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Ayobami Olarinoye, also confirmed that normalcy is gradually returning to the sector. He said neighbourhood retailers currently purchase cooking gas from plant operators at between N1,300 and N1,500/kg and sell to consumers at prices ranging from N1,600 to N1,800/kg, depending on location and logistics costs.
The recent decline follows a sharp rise in cooking gas prices from an average of N1,000/kg in January and February to as high as N2,400/kg between May and June, representing an increase of about 140 per cent in many parts of the country.
To address the shortages and rising costs, marketers concluded plans to import LPG on a large scale, while regulators began issuing import licences after local producers failed to meet domestic demand. The Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, also intervened by warning operators against hoarding and profiteering.
Industry stakeholders expressed optimism that sustained local production and steady imports would further moderate cooking gas prices in the coming weeks, provided there are no major disruptions to supply and distribution.