Rising retail prices of cooking gas, which have recently peaked between ₦1,500 and ₦2,000 per kilogram, are forcing millions of frustrated Nigerian households and small businesses to abandon cleaner energy and revert to charcoal and firewood.
A severe cost-of-living strain is rapidly reversing years of environmental progress in Nigeria as skyrocketing prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) force millions of citizens to abandon clean energy alternatives. The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) issued a stern warning indicating that the unrelenting price spikes are driving widespread public dissatisfaction and could completely derail the country’s national clean energy transition goals. According to the association, local distribution syndicates are currently battling a combination of erratic supply channels, severe logistics bottlenecks, and high depot fees, with marketers now forced to pay an astronomical ₦25.2 million to ₦26.2 million for a single 20-metric-tonne truckload of cooking gas depending on their location.
The high procurement costs at the depots have translated into immense hardship at the retail level, pushing retail prices to between ₦1,500 and ₦2,000 per kilogram across major urban hubs. NALPGAM cautioned that low-income families, food vendors, and small scale enterprises are experiencing severe structural shocks as refilling standard domestic cylinders slips beyond their realistic monthly purchasing power. The association noted that if the federal regulatory bodies fail to rapidly stabilize the supply chain, the immediate economic fallout will trigger accelerated food inflation and drive a massive regression toward traditional biomass fuels like firewood and charcoal. This shift risks causing severe deforestation and environmental degradation while completely wiping out government-backed public awareness achievements.
On the ground, residents across states like Kaduna are already adjusting their daily domestic routines to cope with the economic squeeze by using gas strictly for high-priority or time-sensitive meals. Local consumers revealed that they have largely restricted gas usage to boiling water for morning tea to get their children to school on time, relying heavily on cheaper charcoal measures ranging from ₦200 to ₦500 for the rest of their main cooking. Lamenting the rapid decline in affordability, a resident who recently purchased gas at ₦1,600 per kilogram recounted the financial pain involved in sustaining a modern home, stating, “I recently bought gas at N1,600 per kilogram. Honestly, it pains me because I struggled to afford it,” while pointing out that despite a collective willingness to embrace cleaner energy, households are left with no choice but to demand direct regulatory intervention from the government to make basic cooking energy accessible.
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