The price of refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, has surged to N25,000 this week, up from N17,500 last week.
Mr. Bassey Essien, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), told Vanguard that the spike was triggered by supply disruptions caused by the recent industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery is currently the largest local supplier of cooking gas in Nigeria. The PENGASSAN strike disrupted distribution, preventing many dealers from replenishing their stocks,” Essien explained. “This price increase is a result of demand exceeding supply, but we expect stabilization in the coming days as the conflict is resolved.”
Reports from Lagos revealed that several gas plants were shut down due to shortages, forcing consumers to travel from one outlet to another in search of LPG.
Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, recently disclosed that the refinery produces 2,000 tonnes of LPG per day and plans to increase production further to meet national demand. Expressing concern over Nigeria’s energy poverty, he said, “If distributors are not making LPG accessible, we’ll sell directly to consumers to encourage households to switch from firewood and kerosene to cooking gas.”
Prior to the Dangote Refinery’s intervention, Nigeria’s LPG demand was primarily met by NLNG Limited. The company stated that it remains committed to providing clean, reliable energy to Nigerian homes through its Domestic LPG (DLPG) scheme, which has been supplying cooking gas since 2007.
