LPG marketers in Nigeria, including representatives of the Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) and the Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company Plc (NIPCO), have pointed to supply tightness and seasonal buying pressures as the main drivers behind a sustained jump in cooking gas prices over the past three weeks. In separate conversations on Monday, NOGASA spokesperson Chinedu Ukadike and NIPCO representative Taofeek Lawal said the recent increases reflect a familiar pattern: demand tends to rise at certain times of the year, while available supply does not keep pace.
Figures shared in the report show that cooking gas costs in Abuja and surrounding areas climbed sharply, moving up by roughly 40% to 66%. Prices were said to have risen to between N1,400 per kilogram and N2,000 per kilogram, compared with earlier levels of about N1,000 to N1,200 per kg. The increases add to pressure already felt by households as living costs remain elevated, with inflation readings for April 2026 reported at 26.50% for headline inflation and 16.09% for food inflation.
The price movement is likely to hit affordability particularly hard given that many Nigerians continue to face a heavy budget burden despite a minimum wage of N70,000. Ukadike argued that the latest surge should be understood largely as a seasonal phenomenon combined with limited availability of product. He explained that during the rainy season, households often reduce reliance on firewood, which in turn pushes more demand toward liquefied petroleum gas.
“It’s because of demand now. You know, it’s the rainy season,” Ukadike said, adding that the seasonal shift changes how households obtain cooking fuel. He noted that when rains begin, the use of firewood typically drops, which tightens the supply environment for LPG as more people switch or intensify usage at the same time. “Once it comes to the rainy season, all firewood goes off. It’s seasonal. That’s the way it works,” he said.
Ukadike also linked the hike to scarcity and supply constraints, emphasizing that alternative cooking-fuel options are limited. He said that while prices are rising now, market dynamics should eventually bring costs down as the supply situation improves. “It will come down naturally,” he stated, suggesting that the easing will come through a more balanced market rather than through a quick policy intervention.
On timing, Ukadike said consumers may see relief as more firms enter the LPG space and expand capacity. “There are more gas companies that are also trying to come on board. So, I also believe it will come down,” he told the publication. He further pointed to the entry of additional supply channels—citing Dangote Refinery—as one of the potential solutions to the current pressure on cooking gas prices, expressing confidence that improved supply will translate into more stable and lower retail pricing.
Lawal, speaking from NIPCO’s side, framed the issue primarily as an imbalance between supply and demand. He said the market currently has fewer LPG products available than the number of consumers requiring cooking gas, creating upward pressure on prices. “It is basically a supply issue. There are few products for a large number of customers,” he said.
For Lawal, the central remedy is to close that gap by increasing the volume of LPG reaching the market in line with household demand. “The solution is to improve supply to meet the growing demand,” he said, implying that without a sustained improvement in deliveries and availability, prices are likely to remain under strain even if seasonal demand eventually levels off.
