Cooking gas at N1,250/kg stokes hunger in Nigerian homes

Nigerians are reeling from the impact of a new wave of economic hardship as the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, surges to N1,250 per kilogram.

This sharp increase, up from less than N500 in 2018, has sent shockwaves through households nationwide, adding another layer of burden to an already strained population.

Frustration and anger simmer at meal tables as citizens grapple with the rising 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 going up, but our salaries stay the same. Now even cooking basic meals is becoming a luxury.”

The price hike isn’t just a pinch, it’s a punch to the guts for many Nigerians who rely on LPG for their daily cooking needs.

BusinessDay found that the average retail price of cooking gas across Nigeria today stands at N6,966.03 per 5 kg refilling, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), rising by 71.23 percent from June 2023, compounding the woes of the citizens of the country.

Many consumers are adjusting their budgets to accommodate the higher costs. Some are turning to alternative cooking methods, while others are cutting back on other expenses. The situation is adding pressure to households already dealing with a higher cost of living.

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

Just like Chidinma, many Nigerians who can’t afford to get the product at the surging prices have moved to dirty alternative sources like firewood and charcoal, among others.

However, this is detrimental to the health of many Nigerians, especially women and children. According to reports in 2021, more than 90,000 women and children die yearly from cooking smoke in the country.

Three years later, the number of casualties has risen to 98,000 women and children, indicating poverty and lack of access, according to Emmanuel Uwandu, managing director and chief executive officer of Gas360.

Uwandu said, “Cooking with firewood, and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packages of cigarettes. For an average smoker, that is too much. But this is what women in Nigeria have to deal with daily.

“In Nigeria, 98,000 women die annually from the use of firewood and charcoal, and across the 774 local governments that translates to about 2,700 deaths annually.

“In Niger Delta alone, 21, 000 women die from the use of firewood and charcoal. If we bring that home to Akwa Ibom State’s 31 local governments, 75 women die every year from the use of firewood and charcoal.”

According to the NBS (2020) assessment, only 10.5 percent of households in Nigeria rely on cooking gas, while 68.3 percent use 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 said that the gas price rise is linked majorly 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 hike in cooking gas retail prices is FX challenges.

He said that the government has worked to make the supply of the product available. However, he tasked the FG to sort out the challenges of naira devaluation as it has made the prices of commodities jump.

“The situation is very unfortunate because prices are going higher and Nigerian consumers are passing through very difficult times because they can no longer afford gas and are now depending on firewood, charcoal, and sawdust for cooking,” he said.

The president called on the government to deal with the issue of FX and alleviate the suffering of the masses by providing palliatives and reducing taxes and levies.

In addition, Oladapo said Nigeria LNG would have to look at catering to domestic needs above exportation to cushion the effects on the masses while also urging marketers with the opportunity to buy products locally to fix prices with consumer sympathy in mind.