The average price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, surged by 44.62% between December 2023 and December 2024, according to a report by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS Liquefied Petroleum Gas Price Watch revealed that refilling a 5 kg cylinder cost an average of ₦7,177.27 in December 2024, compared to ₦4,962.87 in December 2023. On a month-to-month basis, the price rose by 1.26%, from ₦7,088.16 in November 2024.
Taraba State recorded the highest average price for refilling a 5 kg cylinder at ₦8,074.41, followed by Lagos at ₦7,910.71 and Benue at ₦7,900. Conversely, Delta had the lowest price at ₦6,455, followed by Ondo at ₦6,683.33 and Zamfara at ₦6,778.57.
For 12.5 kg cylinders, the year-on-year price increase was even steeper at 50.08%, rising from ₦11,510.16 in December 2023 to ₦17,274.16 in December 2024.
However, there was a slight month-on-month decrease of 0.05%, as the price dropped from ₦17,283.58 in November 2024.
Taraba also recorded the highest price for a 12.5 kg cylinder at ₦20,290.75, followed by Yobe at ₦19,000 and Rivers at ₦18,710.94. The lowest prices were observed in Kebbi (₦15,733.33), Nasarawa (₦15,875), and Kwara (₦16,109.38).
The North-East region had the highest average price for refilling a 12.5 kg cylinder at ₦18,173.90, followed by the South-West at ₦17,544.26.
The lowest prices were recorded in the North-Central zone at ₦16,482.47. Prices in other regions included North-West: ₦16,959.47; South-East: ₦17,100.94; and South-South:₦17,539.44.
Despite the widespread adoption of LPG globally, only 19.4% of Nigerian households use cooking gas for domestic, agricultural, or commercial purposes, according to the NBS 2024 Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey (NREDSS). This reflects a significant gap in access to clean energy for cooking.
To address rising prices and ensure availability, the Nigerian government banned the export of cooking gas on November 1, 2024. Whether this measure will alleviate the financial burden on Nigerians remains to be seen.
