The cost of cooking gas in Nigeria has risen to its current price of N6,699 per 5 kilogrammes from N4,360 in May 2023, when President Bola Tinubu was inaugurated. Some Nigerians have turned to alternatives already.
Recently published data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that cooking gas prices have risen by at least 53.65% in the last 16 months.
This is also N2,510 more than the price in September 2023.
In its September publication, the NBS revealed the lowest price of cooking gas sold anywhere in the country was N5,950 in Kebbi State, while in May 2023, the lowest price was N3,287 in Ondo State.
FIJ found that the price of cooking gas took a significant leap in October 2023 by 8.90% for 5 kg with a N373 price difference. The price continued to shoot up until it hit N6,154 in February.
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By the time the president would celebrate his first anniversary in office, the cost of cooking gas had nearly doubled. It was sold at N7,418.
How Nigerians paid for cooking gas between May 2023 and May 2024. Credit: NBS.
How the prices of cooking gas increased between July 2023 and June 2024. Credit: NBS.
How gas prices moved up from October 2023 to September 2024. Credit: NBS.
The NBS data further revealed that cooking gas was sold at more expensive prices in Rivers, one of Nigeria’s oil-rich states, at N7,285; Gombe at N7,271 and Borno, one of the states most ravaged by terrorism at N7,089.
In October 2023, after the prices of gas significantly leapt by 8.9%, Oladapo Olatunbosun, Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, told the Senate that the fluctuating price of cooking gas was caused by a cabal making deliberate efforts to prevent Nigerians from accessing cooking gas.
He explained that the cabal which included NAVGas, NIPCOPLC, Matrix Energy Ltd, Prudent Energy Ltd, Shafa Energy, Techno Gas, StockGap Ltd, Mobil, and Pan Ocean Limited to name a few, would purchase the gas from the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) at N9 million and would be bent on reselling with a profit of N16 million.
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NIGERIANS REACT
FIJ spoke with Nigerians across two cities who said the high cost of cooking gas was forcing them to consider alternative means of cooking and also to gauge how much they cook.
Kehinde Adegboyega, a Lagos resident, told FIJ that while he was considering alternatives to cut down the cost of cooking gas, the alternatives were not cheap either.
“The last time I got it, it was N1,300 per kg. I heard it has moved to N1,500. I am considering alternatives to reduce using cooking gas. The alternatives are expensive too,” Adegboyega told FIJ.
“They are electricity, charcoal and firewood. But I can’t use the last two because of the stress and carbon emissions that may be unhealthy.”
On the part of Ayo John, a resident of Ondo State, she said she now cooks fewer meals due to the cost of the cooking gas. She explained that many civil servants had resorted to charcoal as they could no longer keep up with the prices.
“I cook fewer meals now that gas is more expensive. Some of my colleagues have mentioned that they now use charcoal,” John said.
“In fact, we are planning a send-forth for two of our staff and the committee unanimously agreed to get them charcoal stoves as per the rise of cooking gas. So many civil servants have resorted to charcoal.
“The other alternative for us is electricity but it is also very expensive.”
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