Cooking gas price soars to N1,500/kg as marketers battle supply crisis

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Key points

• Cooking gas prices have surged to about N1,500 per kilogram, up from roughly N1,000 per kilogram in January 2026.
• LPG marketers say the cost of a 20-metric-tonne truck now ranges between N25.2 million and N26.2 million depending on location.
• The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers has blamed erratic supply and rising market instability for the increase.
• Marketers are urging the Federal Government and industry regulators to intervene urgently to stabilize prices and supply.
• The association warned that the crisis could worsen inflation, force small businesses to shut down, and undermine Nigeria’s clean energy goals.

Main story

Marketers under the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers have raised concerns over the sharp increase in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas, amid what they described as erratic supply conditions across the country.

The association disclosed that the retail price of cooking gas has climbed to about N1,500 per kilogram from around N1,000 per kilogram recorded in January 2026, significantly increasing pressure on households and small businesses.

According to the marketers, the cost of purchasing a 20-metric-tonne supply of LPG has also surged to between N25.2 million and N26.2 million depending on location, worsening operational challenges for gas retailers nationwide.

The group appealed to the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NNPC Limited, terminal operators, local producers, and international suppliers to urgently coordinate efforts aimed at stabilizing the market.

The marketers warned that failure to address the situation promptly could deepen public frustration and trigger broader economic consequences.

The issues

The latest increase in cooking gas prices adds to mounting cost-of-living pressures already affecting millions of Nigerians.

Stakeholders say the sharp rise in LPG prices could worsen food inflation as households, restaurants, and food vendors struggle with higher cooking costs.

The association also warned that prolonged market instability could lead to the collapse of small-scale LPG businesses, job losses, declining investor confidence, and setbacks to Nigeria’s clean energy transition efforts.

Concerns have also emerged over growing public frustration, with marketers warning that gas station operators could become targets of anger if prices continue to rise unchecked.

Industry players are therefore calling for urgent intervention to address supply bottlenecks and restore market stability.

What’s being said

“It is sad, and rather very pathetic to inform the general public that the citizens of Nigeria have woken up to buy cooking gas, which should be a social item, at a prohibitive cost of over N1,500 per kg”, Edu Inyang and Bassey Essie explained.

“The marketers are made to pay as much as N25,200,000 or depending on location N26,200,000 for a 20MT of cooking gas”, Inyang and Essie added.

What’s next

The association is expected to continue engaging government agencies, regulators, and key stakeholders in the LPG value chain over possible interventions to stabilise prices and improve supply.

Industry observers say authorities may come under increasing pressure to introduce measures aimed at cushioning the impact of rising energy costs on households and businesses.

Market developments in the coming weeks are also likely to determine whether cooking gas prices continue climbing or begin to ease.

Bottom line

Nigeria’s cooking gas market is facing mounting pressure from rising prices and supply instability, with marketers warning that failure to intervene quickly could deepen economic hardship, fuel inflation, and threaten the country’s push toward cleaner household energy adoption.