The soaring price of cooking gas, now at ₦1,250 per kilogram, is exacerbating food insecurity in Nigerian households.

Nigerians are grappling with a new wave of economic hardship as the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, skyrockets to ₦1,250 per kilogram.

This steep rise, from less than ₦500 per kilogram in 2018, has sent shockwaves through households nationwide, adding to the already significant burden on the population.

At dinner tables across the country, frustration and anger simmer as citizens face the escalating cost of living in Africa’s most populous nation.

“How can we cook?” lamented Tosin Adelakun, a Lagos resident juggling multiple jobs to support her family. “Everything is getting more expensive, but our salaries remain unchanged. Now, even cooking basic meals is becoming a luxury.”

This price hike is not just a minor inconvenience—it’s a severe blow for many Nigerians who depend on LPG for their daily cooking needs.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average retail price of cooking gas across Nigeria currently stands at ₦6,966.03 per 5-kilogram refill, a 71.23 percent increase since June 2023, further compounding the struggles of citizens.

As a result, many consumers are adjusting their budgets to accommodate these higher costs. Some are turning to alternative cooking methods, while others are cutting back on other essential expenses. This situation is putting additional pressure on households already strained by the rising cost of living.

“It’s becoming unbearable to cook with gas now,” said Osuji Chidinma, a businesswoman living in Lagos’s Iyana Iba area. “We are now substituting with charcoal and firewood.”

Like Chidinma, many Nigerians who cannot afford the soaring gas prices have turned to more polluting alternatives like firewood and charcoal.

However, these alternatives pose serious health risks, particularly for women and children. Reports from 2021 indicate that more than 90,000 women and children die annually from exposure to cooking smoke in Nigeria.

Three years later, the number of casualties has risen to 98,000 women and children, underscoring the impact of poverty and lack of access, according to Emmanuel Uwandu, Managing Director and CEO of Gas360.

“Cooking with firewood and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packs of cigarettes daily. This is the harsh reality for many women in Nigeria,” Uwandu explained. “Annually, 98,000 women die in Nigeria from using firewood and charcoal, with about 2,700 deaths recorded across the 774 local governments each year.”

In the Niger Delta region alone, 21,000 women die annually from using these fuel sources. In Akwa Ibom State, which has 31 local governments, 75 women die each year from the same cause.

According to the NBS (2020), only 10.5 percent of households in Nigeria use cooking gas, while 68.3 percent rely on solid biomass. About 19.8 percent use kerosene, and just one percent use electricity for cooking.

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has attributed the gas price increase primarily to foreign exchange challenges, as the naira continues to struggle against the dollar.

Olatunbosun Oladapo, President of NALPGAM, told BusinessDay that the major reason for the surge in cooking gas prices is the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange.

He noted that while the government has worked to ensure product availability, it must address the issue of naira devaluation, which has driven up the cost of commodities.

“The situation is unfortunate because prices are rising, and Nigerian consumers are facing extremely difficult times. Many can no longer afford gas and are now relying on firewood, charcoal, and sawdust for cooking,” Oladapo said.

He urged the government to address the foreign exchange challenges and alleviate the public’s suffering by providing palliatives and reducing taxes and levies.

Additionally, Oladapo called on Nigeria LNG to prioritize domestic needs over exports to cushion the impact on the public while urging marketers who can purchase products locally to set prices with consumer welfare in mind.