Marketers raise alarm as cooking gas hits N1,700 per kilogram

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has warned that the continuous increase in cooking gas prices could provoke public outrage if urgent action is not taken to address the crisis.

The association disclosed that liquefied petroleum gas now sells between N1,500 and N1,700 per kilogram, while the cost of a 20-metric-tonne truck has climbed to between N25.2 million and N26.2 million.

NALPGAM National President, Edu Inyang, said the soaring prices were placing severe pressure on households and small businesses nationwide.

According to him, millions of Nigerians can no longer afford cooking gas for everyday use.

“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 stated.

He warned that frustration among consumers could eventually be directed at operators of gas filling stations if the situation persists.

“We feel that if the situation is not immediately checked, citizens may rise against owners of gas filling stations,” he said.

Inyang blamed the rising cost of LPG on supply shortages, expensive depot prices, logistics bottlenecks and escalating operational expenses.

He noted that the situation was threatening Nigeria’s transition to cleaner energy, as many families had started reverting to charcoal and firewood because of the high cost of cooking gas.

The NALPGAM president warned that the trend could worsen environmental and health challenges while undermining the country’s clean energy targets.

He also said prolonged instability in the LPG market could increase food prices, lead to job losses and weaken investor confidence in the sector.

The association called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and NNPC Limited to urgently intervene.

NALPGAM urged stakeholders in the LPG value chain to improve domestic supply, ensure transparent distribution and remove obstacles affecting importation and nationwide supply of cooking gas.

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