The price of refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, has risen to ₦25,000 from ₦17,500 last week.

Checks across Lagos and its environs revealed that 1kg now sells for between ₦1,500 and ₦2,000, depending on the location.

Bassey Essien, executive secretary of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), told Vanguard on Monday that the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) disrupted distribution.

His words: “Dangote Petroleum Refinery is currently the highest local supplier of cooking gas in Nigeria. The crisis involving PENGASSAN scuttled distribution. Many dealers could not replenish their stocks during the period.

“What we are witnessing is a function of demand and supply. But supply would likely stabilise in the coming days, following resolution of the conflict.”

Many gas plants in Lagos and surrounding states were shut on Monday, forcing consumers to move from one location to another in search of the commodity.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, recently disclosed that the refinery produces 2,000 tonnes of LPG daily and plans to increase output to meet national demand.

“If the distributors are not trying to bring it down, we’ll go directly and sell to consumers so that people will now transit from firewood or kerosene to LPG for cooking,” he said.

Until recently, Nigeria’s LPG demand was largely met by the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited.

In a statement, the company announced that it had committed 100 percent of its butane production to the domestic market since 2022, under its domestic LPG scheme.

“To get cooking gas to Nigerian homes efficiently, NLNG supplies butane to selected partners (our off-takers) through approved coastal LPG terminals in Lagos and Rivers states, with more facilities under review,” the company said.

It added that a dedicated vessel had been chartered to ensure regular and reliable delivery to terminals, aimed at making LPG “more available, accessible, affordable, and acceptable across the country.”