The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGAR), under the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has issued a formal statement addressing the ongoing scarcity and price hike of cooking gas across the country. The association firmly attributes the crisis to upstream supply challenges, not retailer price manipulation.
In recent weeks, Nigerian households have faced steep increases in the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), with prices soaring from ₦1,200 to as high as ₦2,300 per kilogram in some regions. This has sparked widespread concern and speculation about the root causes of the surge.
Mr. Ayobami Olarinoye, Chairman of LPGAR, clarified the association’s position: “The recent scarcity and spike in LPG prices have brought untold hardship to millions of Nigerian households and businesses. We understand this pain and feel compelled to clarify the role of retailers in this crisis. The rising cost and limited availability of LPG stem from supply challenges, not price manipulation by retailers.”
The statement comes in response to comments made by the President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), who had earlier suggested that retailers were contributing to the price surge. Olarinoye described those allegations as “unfair and misleading,” emphasizing that retailers neither control import volumes nor dictate terminal pricing.