Cooking gas prices have gone through the roof again, and for many Nigerians, mealtime is fast becoming a luxury. In less than a week, the cost of refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) jumped from ₦17,500 to ₦25,000, marking one of the steepest increases in recent months.

Across Lagos and several cities, long queues have returned to gas plants, with some outlets completely shut down due to a lack of supply. Consumers now move from one station to another in search of what was once a basic household commodity.

According to the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), the sudden spike in prices and scarcity was triggered by supply disruptions linked to the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

“Dangote Refinery, which is currently Nigeria’s biggest local supplier of cooking gas, couldn’t push out enough product during the industrial action,” said NALPGAM Executive Secretary, Bassey Essien. “Many dealers ran out of stock, and demand has since outstripped supply.”

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While the strike has been called off, the ripple effect continues to choke supply lines, and experts warn that prices may not drop immediately. Nigeria’s demand for LPG continues to climb as more households abandon firewood and kerosene. Yet, the infrastructure for storage, transportation, and distribution remains limited, making the market highly sensitive to disruptions.

Dangote Refinery currently produces about 2,000 tonnes of LPG daily and plans to scale up output in the coming months. Aliko Dangote recently said the refinery may begin selling directly to consumers to force down prices and encourage cleaner energy use.

Before Dangote’s intervention, the bulk of Nigeria’s cooking gas came from the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), which has since committed 100 percent of its Butane output to the domestic market. NLNG said it continues to supply its accredited off-takers through coastal terminals in Lagos and Rivers States, with expansion plans for Delta and other regions to improve access.

Despite these efforts, the reality remains that demand still far outweighs supply, a reflection of Nigeria’s deepening energy poverty. For millions of families already struggling with food inflation and high electricity tariffs, the latest gas price surge adds another layer of hardship. 

What used to be a quiet routine, refilling the cooking cylinder, has now become a painful reminder of the country’s unending struggle to stabilise energy supply.

As one Lagos resident put it at a gas station queue: “We used to worry about the price of rice. Now we have to worry about how even to cook it.”

Meiza Nigeria