Cooking gas price drops nationwide as supply improves

Retail prices of cooking gas have dropped significantly across the country, bringing temporary relief to households after weeks of sharp increases. Checks across Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities show that the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) now sells between ₦1,300 and ₦1,500 per kilogramme, down from the peak of about ₦2,000 recorded earlier in October.

Retailers under the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria confirmed the improvement in supply and the gradual easing of prices. The association’s chairman, Ayobami Olarinoye, said over the weekend that the product was “gradually circulating again,” noting that while the market had yet to stabilise, availability had improved compared to the past three weeks.

“The product is getting to more outlets, and supply is picking up. Prices have dropped to between ₦1,300 and ₦1,600 per kilogramme depending on location,” Olarinoye said, expressing optimism that full stability could return within a week if the trend continues.

The price reduction follows renewed distribution from the Dangote Refinery and the resumption of operations disrupted by the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria. The strike, which temporarily halted fuel loading and disrupted logistics, had led to widespread scarcity and caused prices to surge across several states.

Multiple sources at the Dangote Refinery confirmed that marketers now lift LPG at about ₦715,000 per metric tonne, down from ₦790,000 earlier in the month. The refinery maintains that while it sells at regulated depot prices, it cannot control the final retail price, which depends on market forces and government oversight through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

Officials at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) said the government has stepped up monitoring to discourage price manipulation and hoarding. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, recently warned marketers against exploiting consumers and assured that measures were being taken to stabilise domestic supply.

Market analysts and industry groups attribute the price drop to an increase in local production and the gradual clearing of supply backlogs from major depots. Reports by TVC News and The Nation also confirmed that LPG distribution has picked up, especially in Lagos and Abuja, where more trucks are now loading from the refinery.

While consumers have welcomed the decline, many say they are still waiting for prices to return to the pre-crisis level of around ₦900 per kilogramme. Retailers, however, maintain that fluctuations may persist until supply and distribution channels fully stabilise nationwide.

Olarinoye expressed hope that continued refinery output and government intervention would sustain the downward trend, saying, “If the current supply pattern holds, Nigerians will begin to see more stability and affordable prices in the coming weeks.”