Nigerians Revert To Charcoal, Plead For Reduction In Cooking Gas Price

Nigerians have appealed the federal government to ensure a reduction in the price of cooking gas to ease the financial burdens on households.

Many Nigerians are reverting to the use of charcoal and firewood due to the persistent rise in cooking gas price.

Stakeholders however warn that this trend could undermine Nigeria’s progress towards achieving cleaner energy and more sustainable energy use.

A report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics  has shown that on state profile analysis, Lagos recorded the highest average price for refilling a 5kg at N9,745.10, followed by Nasarawa at N9,451.70 and Bayelsa at N9,422.74.

It said Anambra recorded the lowest price at N7,204.76, followed by Ondo and Ogun at N7,239.49 and N7,825.75 respectively.

Analysis of the six zones showed that the North-West recorded the highest average retail price at N9,025.07 for 5kg of cooking gas, followed by the North-East at N8,847.16.

“The South-East recorded the lowest average retail price at N8,224.37,” the report said.

For refilling a 12,5kg cylinder, the report showed that Katsina recorded the highest average retail price at N25,596.71, followed by Kogi at N24,558.25 and Gombe at N24,438.97.

The report also showed that the lowest average price for refilling 12.5 kg of cooking gas was recorded in Ogun at N19,564.36, followed by Bauchi and Anambra at N20,178.87 and N20,511.90, respectively.

Analysis by zone showed that the North-West also recorded the highest average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder at N23,276.95, followed by the North-Central at N22,865.29.

The report said the South-East also recorded the lowest price of refilling a 12.5 kg cylinder at N21,060.92.

The bureau says the average price of 5kg of cooking gas increased from N7,655.73 recorded in March to N8,706.93 in April.

It said in its Cooking Gas Price Watch for April released in Abuja, that the April price represented a 13.73 per cent increase, compared to what was obtained in March.

The report said that the average price of 5kg of cooking gas increased on a year-on-year basis by 10.42 per cent from N7,855.60 recorded in April 2025.

It also said the average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cooking gas increased by 13.89 per cent on a month-on-month basis from N19,652.83 in March 2026 to N22,382.20 in April 2026.

“While on a year-on-year basis, the average retail price for 12.5kg cooking gas increased by 10.43 per cent from N20,268.06 in April 2025.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) attributed the current price increase of LPG to supply shortages.

The association disclosed that cooking gas now sells between N1, 500 and N1, 700 per kilogram, while marketers pay between N25.2 million and N26.2 million for a 20-metric-tonne truck of liquefied petroleum gas, depending on the location.

Also, experts have attributed the current persistent increase in the price of LPG to rising global energy prices, exchange rate volatility, and supply distribution challenges.