Cooking Gas Hits N1,600/kg in Lagos, 12.5kg Refill Now About N20,000

Cooking gas prices have climbed to as high as N1,600 per kilogramme at some Lagos retail outlets, with a full 12.5kg cylinder now costing about N20,000. The fresh increase is affecting Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Ogun, where plant and retail prices vary widely.

Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ogun prices

In Lagos, plant prices were around N1,350 per kilogramme, while some retail outlets charged as much as N1,600 per kilogramme. At that rate, filling a 12.5kg cylinder costs approximately N20,000. In Osun, plant prices hovered around N1,300 per kilogramme and retail prices at roughly N1,500, putting the full refill cost at about N18,750. Consumers in Oyo were paying around N1,300 per kilogramme at retail, with plant prices lower at N1,200. In Ogun, plant prices reached approximately N1,400 per kilogramme. Oladapo said LPG remained available at N1,150 per kilogramme at his facility in Ibadan, adding that some Lagos outlets could also sell between N1,100 and N1,150 per kilogramme at the plant level. Plant prices across the states start from N1,150 per kilogramme.

Why prices differ

Oladapo explained that the difference between plant prices and what consumers eventually pay reflects the transportation and operating costs distributors absorb before delivering the product to retail locations. Consumers further from major supply points tend to pay more. He also warned that widespread reports of rising prices could push some marketers to raise their own prices even when their supply costs had not actually increased.

Household and business pressure

The increase compounds financial pressure on households already adjusting to higher petrol prices, which have pushed up transportation costs across the country. Lagos resident Adesola Omotosho said back-to-back increases in essential costs were making it harder for families to stretch their income. She said: "We don't even understand what is going on. A few days ago, it was about petrol and transportation cost; now it's gas." Habibah Raheem, a consumer in Osun, also raised concern about the impact on families that depend on LPG for daily cooking. Beyond households, food vendors and restaurants that rely on cooking gas for daily operations are also absorbing higher production costs, which could eventually be passed on to their customers.

NBS data adds to pressure

Latest cooking gas price data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that the cost of LPG increased significantly across Nigeria. The NBS Cooking Gas Price Watch showed that the average retail price of a 5kg cylinder rose to N8,706.93, compared with N7,655.73. This represents a 13.73% increase month-on-month, indicating a sharp rise in the amount households spent on cooking gas during the period.

For Nigerian consumers, the gap between plant and retail prices will matter as households and small food businesses try to manage budgets. If food vendors pass on higher cooking gas costs, pressure on food prices may build.