Cooking Gas Price Soars Again, Hits N2000/kg
The prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly called cooking gas, have risen sharply as higher import costs and tight supply push retail rates upward.
Market checks show Lagos recording the highest increases, with prices reaching as much as N2,000 per kilogram in some areas, while Abuja, Kano, Bida and Port Harcourt report smaller but steady rises.
Marketers and depot operators say many have cut back on imports because of increased landing costs and foreign exchange pressures, narrowing availability and raising reseller margins nationwide.
MYTRENDCASTER checks showed that cooking gas prices deepened the most across Lagos and neighbouring Ogun State, as rising import costs forced prices to unprecedented levels, with retail rates now climbing as high as N2,000 per kilogram in some locations.
Depot and retail operators say supply disruptions have worsened in recent days, as many marketers have significantly reduced or halted importation due to elevated landing costs.
The situation has led to tightening availability across several depots and retail outlets in the South-West.
Market checks in Lagos showed that in areas such as Alakuko, cooking gas is now sold between N1,800 and N2,000 per kilogram.
In neighbouring Atan, Ota, in Ogun State, prices range between N1,600 and N1,800 per kilogram, depending on the vendor and location.
At Primeview Gas Plant in Obere, Atan, prices are slightly lower at about N1,450 per kilogram, while independent retailers around the Berger axis, including Warewa and Arepo, are selling between N1,700 and N1,800 per kilogram.
Along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor, Sungas Filling Station in Aseese is selling at about N1,600 per kilogram to end users, with a 12kg cylinder now costing as much as N19,200.
However, industry sources note that bulk buyers and distributors may access lower rates depending on volume.
Residents and small business owners in Lagos are lamenting the continued rise in the price of cooking gas as the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) climbed to N1,500 per kilogram in parts of the state.
At a gas station on Oba-Akran Road in Ikeja, 1kg of cooking gas sold for N1,500 over the weekend, representing a N200 increase from the N1,300 it sold for barely one week earlier after an earlier N50 hike.
The latest increase has further compounded the burden on households and petty traders who depend heavily on cooking gas for their daily businesses and domestic use.
An egg seller who had just refilled her gas cylinder expressed frustration over the persistent increase, saying the development was eating deep into her profit.
“What are we supposed to do? I am tired of all this. I only manage to survive with this little business. I use the gas to boil eggs so I can sell and have something to eat with my family,” she said.
She noted that the situation was worse for those buying from roadside retailers, adding that prices there range between N1,700 and N1,800 per kilogram because of additional resale margins.
“Even at this price, it is still cheaper because those who buy and resell on the street will sell it for N1,700 to N1,800 because they also need to make a profit after buying from Oba-Akran,” she added.
Another trader also decried the repeated increase in the price of gas, lamenting that the latest hike came barely a week after consumers paid more for the product.
“We use this gas to sell in the market. Tell me how much we are making from this petty business that gas will just keep going up every time,” she said, expressing hope that the price would soon drop.
The rising cost of LPG has heightened concerns among consumers and small-scale operators who say the development may force many households back to the use of firewood and kerosene amid worsening economic conditions.
In Abuja, prices were mixed but trending upward. A petty trader in Wuse said she paid about N1,400 per kg at a depot but had seen roadside resellers charging between N1,650 and N1,750.
Consumers in Bida, Niger State, told MYTRENDCASTER that cooking gas prices were slightly lower than in the South-West but rising, with depot prices around N1,600 per kilogram.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where NESGAS is active and the construction of a large storage facility is planned, traders reported more acute shortages. Some depots quoted N1,700 per kg, while others refilled at up to N1,800 in some neighbourhoods.
A major marketer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said ex-depot prices surged sharply within days, creating panic in the downstream market.
According to the source, only a few suppliers, including NESGAS, currently have available stock in Lagos, further tightening supply.
The source added that ex-depot prices, which previously hovered far lower, spiked to about N1,500 per kilogram over the weekend, a development that quickly filtered into retail markets, pushing end-user prices toward N2,000 per kilogram in high-demand areas.
Industry stakeholders attribute the crisis largely to rising import costs, foreign exchange pressures, and constrained supply, which have discouraged active importation by several marketers.
Meanwhile, NESGAS Limited, a Nigerian oil and gas company, recently secured a $200 million contractor financing deal with Cakasa Nigeria Limited for the construction of a 50,000-metric-tonne LPG storage facility in Onne, Rivers State.
Nigeria, which is said to have one of the fastest-growing LPG markets globally with a projected market size of about $10 billion, still faces significant infrastructure constraints.
Current storage capacity of about 800,000 metric tonnes remains far below the estimated national requirement of five million metric tonnes, a gap that continues to affect distribution stability and pricing.
