Nigerians are worried as the price of cooking gas has risen sharply, with a kilogram now selling for as high as ₦2,000 — and up to ₦3,000 in some areas.
But gas marketers say the increase is not due to any official price adjustment. The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has blamed the hike on temporary supply shortages and market exploitation by some operators.
The association’s president, Oladapo Olatunbosun, explained this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“I sympathise with Nigerians as the President of NALPGAM because we never intended to have a situation like this. I must say categorically that prices of cooking gas have not gone up. No increment has been done officially,” Olatunbosun said.
He accused some marketers of taking advantage of the supply gap caused by the recent PENGASSAN strike at the Dangote Refinery, saying, “Some marketers are cashing in to make quick money, which is wrong. We frown at this as an association, and I’m happy that by the grace of God, normalcy will return in the next few days.”
According to Channels TV reports, the average price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) rose from around ₦1,200–₦1,300 per kilogram to between ₦1,700 and ₦2,000 in recent days.
Olatunbosun described the situation as “artificial and temporary,” explaining that it began when the Dangote Refinery slowed truck loading due to maintenance work.
“Before the strike, Dangote was loading about 50 trucks per day, serving the South-West and parts of the North. But when renovation started, trucks spent up to 14 days waiting to get products. So marketers switched to Apapa depots, but the subsequent strike disrupted vessel discharges and inspections, drying up stocks,” he said.
He added that while the refinery had resumed operations, it would take some time to clear the backlog.
“Now that the strike is off, products have been discharged and trucking out has started. But because everywhere is dry, the South-West — which consumes the largest amount of LPG — is feeling it the most,” he said.
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Olatunbosun noted that Nigeria’s gas consumption has nearly doubled in the last three years, from 1.2 million to about 2 million metric tonnes, making the market more sensitive to supply disruptions.
He advised consumers to buy directly from registered gas plants to avoid inflated prices.
“If you buy from a third or fourth party, the price goes up. But if you buy from gas bottling plants — my members — the average price in the South-West today is between ₦1,000 and ₦1,300 per kilogram,” he explained.
Before the current shortage, he said, gas was selling for as low as ₦950 in some areas.
The NALPGAM president assured Nigerians that the association was working closely with authorities to restore normal supply soon.
“We are on top of the situation, and prices will stabilise once supply normalises,” he said.