Nigeria’s cooking gas market is reeling under fresh pressure as the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) surged to as high as N2,200 per kilogram, sparking concerns among households already struggling with soaring energy costs.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, attributed the sudden price escalation to supply disruptions caused by the recent PENGASSAN strike.
Speaking to journalists at the State House after a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu, Ojulari explained that the temporary halt in petroleum loading and distribution during the strike caused a ripple effect across the LPG supply chain.
“So the increase you saw was relatively artificial because for the period of the strike, what that meant was movements and loading were delayed by about two, three days,” he said.
Across major cities, the impact has been swift. In Lagos, the price of a 12.5kg cylinder climbed to N26,000 at Amuwo Odofin and N27,000 at Iyana Ipaja, representing over 48% increase from the previous average of N17,500.
In Abuja, consumers paid around N20,000 for the same quantity, equivalent to N1,600 per kg, according to market checks around the Dutse axis.
Ojulari noted that some retailers and marketers with existing stock raised prices opportunistically during the supply pause. “As you know, in Nigeria, people take opportunity.
With that delay, some of the people that have existing resources and reserves had to put up the price,” he said, adding that the situation should normalize as distribution resumes.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had suspended its planned nationwide strike on October 1 following federal government mediation.
The industrial action stemmed from the Dangote Refinery’s dismissal of Nigerian workers, later resolved after the company agreed to redeploy affected staff.
Ojulari assured consumers that LPG prices are expected to ease once normal supply flows are restored. However, the episode underscores Nigeria’s fragile energy distribution system, where minor disruptions often trigger steep price fluctuations.