By Olakunle Oke
President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM),Oladapo Olatunbosun has attributed the hike in the price of cooking gas to temporary supply disruptions caused by the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), alongside opportunistic pricing by some marketers.
Recently, Nigerians have expressed concern over the sharp increase in the price of cooking gas, which now sells for as high as ₦2,000 per kilogram in some parts of the country.
The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which previously sold for between ₦1,200 and ₦1,300 per kilogram, has now risen to between ₦1,700 and ₦2,000 and in some areas, as high as ₦3,000.
Speaking on The Morning Brief programme on Channels Television on Wednesday, Olatunbosun said the price surge was not a result of any official increment but a fallout from supply shortages triggered by the strike action that affected the Dangote Refinery.
“I sympathise with Nigerians as the President of NALPGAM because we never intended to have a situation like this,” Olatunbosun said. “I must say categorically that prices of cooking gas have not gone up officially. What is happening is that some marketers are taking advantage of the shortage in supply and increased demand to make profits. We frown at this as an association, and I am happy that normalcy will return in the next few days.”
Olatunbosun explained that the disruption began when Dangote Refinery, which had previously improved supply by selling directly to offtakers, embarked on maintenance and renovation works that slowed truck loading.
“Before the strike, Dangote loaded about 50 trucks per day, serving the South-West and parts of the North. When maintenance started, trucks spent up to 14 days waiting for loading, so marketers turned to Apapa for supply. Then the PENGASSAN strike hit, disrupting vessel discharges and inspections, and stocks ran dry,” he said.
He noted that although Dangote Refinery did not halt production, the strike delayed vessel berthing and inspections, causing about five days of supply loss and worsening scarcity across the country, particularly in the South-West, which consumes the largest share of LPG in Nigeria.
Olatunbosun added that national LPG consumption has increased from about 1.2 million metric tonnes three years ago to nearly two million metric tonnes, making the market more sensitive to supply disruptions.
He advised consumers to buy directly from registered gas bottling plants to avoid inflated prices, stressing that legitimate outlets still sell for between ₦1,000 and ₦1,300 per kilogram, depending on location.
The NALPGAM president assured Nigerians that the association is working with relevant authorities to restore normal supply and stabilise prices in the coming days.