By Endurance Enemona Samuel
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has raised serious concerns over the continuous increase in the price of cooking gas across the country, warning that worsening hardship could trigger public anger against operators of gas filling stations, The Bureau Journal reports.
The association disclosed that cooking gas now sells between N1,500 and N1,700 per kilogram in many parts of Nigeria, placing additional financial pressure on households and small businesses already battling rising living costs.
Cooking Gas Prices Continue to Rise
NALPGAM revealed that marketers currently purchase a 20-metric-tonne truck of liquefied petroleum gas for between N25.2 million and N26.2 million depending on location and logistics costs.
The association warned that the rising cost of LPG has become unsustainable for millions of Nigerians.
Speaking on the development, NALPGAM National President, Mr Edu Inyang, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in order to stabilise supply and pricing within the sector.
“It is sad and rather very pathetic to inform the general public that Nigerians have woken up to buy cooking gas, which should be a social item, at a prohibitive cost of over N1,500 per kilogram,” Inyang said.
Marketers Fear Public Anger
According to the association, prolonged increases in cooking gas prices could trigger public frustration and hostility towards gas station operators.
“We feel that if the situation is not immediately checked, citizens may rise against owners of gas filling stations,” Inyang warned.
He attributed the rising cost of cooking gas to supply shortages, high depot prices, expensive transportation, logistics bottlenecks and increasing operational expenses faced by marketers nationwide.
Households Returning to Firewood and Charcoal
NALPGAM further warned that the growing cost of LPG is gradually reversing Nigeria’s clean energy progress, as many low-income households are reportedly abandoning cooking gas for firewood and charcoal.
The association noted that the trend poses serious environmental and public health risks.
Experts say the increasing dependence on firewood could worsen deforestation, indoor air pollution and respiratory illnesses, particularly among women and children.
Small Businesses Under Pressure
The marketers also expressed concern that rising cooking gas prices could worsen food inflation and negatively affect food vendors, restaurants, bakeries and other small businesses that depend heavily on LPG.
According to NALPGAM, continued instability in the sector could discourage investment and threaten the survival of small LPG retail businesses across Nigeria.
Association Demands Urgent Government Intervention
The association called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPC Limited and domestic gas producers to urgently address the situation.
NALPGAM recommended increased domestic supply allocation, transparent distribution systems, removal of importation bottlenecks and stronger interventions aimed at making cooking gas affordable for ordinary Nigerians.
Analysts say the latest increase in LPG prices adds to growing concerns over Nigeria’s worsening cost-of-living crisis, with many households already struggling with rising food prices, electricity tariffs and transportation costs.
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