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Cooking Gas: Scarcity, price hike artificial, middlemen exploiting customers — NALPGAM
Nigerians have expressed concern over another hike in the price of cooking gas, with a kilogram now selling for as high as ₦2,000 in some parts of the country.
According to gas marketers, the increase has little to do with any official price adjustment.
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers has attributed the surge in cooking gas price to temporary supply disruptions and market exploitation by some operators.
The association’s National President, Oladapo Olatunbosun, stated this on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He said there had been no official increment in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, blaming the hike on opportunistic marketers taking advantage of supply gaps caused by the recent strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria against the Dangote Refinery.
He said, “I sympathise with Nigerians as the President of NALPGAM because we never intended to have a situation like this.
“I must say it categorically that prices of cooking gas have not gone up. No increment has been done officially.
“What is happening is that some marketers are taking advantage of the shortage in supply and the market forces that have increased demand. They are cashing up to make good money, which is wrong.
“We frown at this as an Association, and I’m happy that by the grace of God, normalcy will return in the next few days.”
Channels TV reports that prices of LPG, which previously averaged between ₦1,200 and ₦1,300 per kilogram, have in recent days risen to between ₦1,700 and ₦2,000, and as high as ₦3,000 in some areas.
Olatunbosun explained that the current situation was artificial and temporary, noting that normal supply and pricing were expected to stabilise in the coming days.
He said the problem began when Dangote Refinery, which had previously improved domestic supply by eliminating middlemen, embarked on maintenance and renovation that slowed truck loading.
He stated, “Before the strike, when you load from Dangote, he sends out about 50 trucks per day, which is good because it served the South West and some part of the North well, and if you add it to what you get from Apapa, and other depots in Lagos, because they also source their products from IOCs and other producers.
“Dangote came in with his own strategy, selling directly to offtakers. That made importation not to be attractive. You won’t be able to compete if you import because you are likely to incur losses.
“But at a time, Dangote also commenced renovation/maintenance, which affected loading. Trucks started spending like 14 days at Dangote yard before they could get products.
“So, marketers switched to Apapa, and nobody felt the impact.”
According to him, while the refinery was undergoing maintenance, marketers turned to Apapa depots for supply, but the subsequent PENGASSAN strike disrupted vessel discharges and inspections, drying up stocks.
“When Dangote finished renovation, and we were about to commence full loading, the strike came in. Although Dangote didn’t stop production, everybody had rushed to Apapa, and it was now out of product, and all the depots there were dry.
“The only vessel that came in from NOJ axes was meant to supply three depots could not berth because of the strike. And even when it berthed, the officers to inspect it weren’t on the ground because of the strike, and that caused about five days’ loss, and the real impact of the backlog became obvious.
“Now that the strike is off, the product has been discharged, and they are trucking out. But because everywhere is dry and the South West is the only place that consumes the largest amount of LPG in Nigeria,” he added.
He said the backlog from the delay worsened the scarcity, particularly in the South-West, which he said consumes the largest share of LPG in Nigeria.
Olatunbosun added that the country’s national LPG consumption had increased from about 1.2 million metric tonnes three years ago to nearly two million metric tonnes, further straining supply whenever there were disruptions.
He advised consumers to buy directly from registered gas plants, noting that those buying through middlemen or third parties were likely to pay inflated prices.
Olatunbosun said, “If you buy a product from a third party, fourth party, the chain has been extended, then the price is going up, which is quite illegal. Just like you buy petrol on the road for people who carry kegs, they will sell it at exorbitant prices. So if you go to gas plants, the price you can buy today is 1,300 maximum.
“People who are claiming to buy gas at 1700 did not disclose the source of their purchase. If you are buying from a third or fourth party, then catch on, and the prices increase.
“But if you buy from gas bottling plants, my members, you will not buy as high as that. Average price within my members in Southwest today is between N1000 to maximum of N1300, depending on the location and the kind of overhead they incur to get the gas into the plant. Before this artificial scarcity, the prices were being sold at 1,050 in some places, N950. So the highest you could get from a gas plant today is N1300, depending on if it’s a very remote area.”
The NALPGAM president assured Nigerians that the association was working with relevant authorities to stabilise.
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Ex-Speaker, Aminu Masari, lists four conditions to bridge gap between campaign promises and realities
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives and former Governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari has lamented the yawning gap between campaign promises by politicians and realities of governance on the ground.
Delivering the Keynote Address at the 9th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Lagos, Masari, who spoke on the theme: Reconciling Campaign Promises with Governance Realities: Challenges and Prospects, listed four conditions to bridge such gaps in the interest of democracy.
To Masari, political actors must campaign with responsibility, insisting that such campaign promises should be realistic, costed and achievable within the available resources.
“Unrealistic pledges made merely to capture the mood of the electorate should be challenged and exposed. Only then can we begin to elevate our political culture and make sure that the process justifies the end. Second, governance must be anchored on strong institutions. With capable institutions, policies can be implemented more consistently and transparently.”
According to him, the third leg must imbibe honest communication with citizens by political leaders. He tasked leaders to explain the trade-offs — why certain promises may take longer, why resources must be reallocated and how progress will be measured.
“Fourth, citizens themselves, including civil society and the media, must understand realities and properly communicate those realities in addition to holding leaders accountable. They should track promises, and demand transparency instead of creating sensational headlines to attract followers, especially now that the number of followers translates into monetary gain.”
Looking at the challenges before political leaders in fulfilling campaign promises, the former Katsina State governor named limited resources, competing demands and unexpected crises.
“Many manifestos are aspirational documents, not grounded in the reality of available resources or institutional capacity. Fiscal constraints are also a big factor. Campaign promises hinge on the resources available to any country. In many African nations — and more specifically in our case — budgets are still heavily dependent on a single commodity: oil. Yet, as we all know, the price of oil is beyond our control. It is volatile, shaped by global market forces, geopolitical tensions, and other complex and unpredictable factors.”
He said beyond resource volatility, there are also unforeseen emergencies that force governments to reorder their priorities with COVID-19 as a vivid example. He said such emergencies consume time, energy and resources and compel governments to suspend plans and promises across all sectors, resulting in campaign promises suffering in the long run.
“Here in Nigeria, insecurity remains a persistent challenge. It undermines production, disrupts livelihoods and reduces national revenues. It compels government to divert enormous resources toward security operations. Another major issue is weak institutions. Even when funds are available, corruption, bureaucracy and inefficiency can derail delivery.”
He concluded that reconciling campaign promises with governance realities is not just about avoiding embarrassment for politicians but about protecting the integrity of democracy itself.
The keynote speaker warned that if citizens repeatedly see promises made and broken, they lose faith in the system.
“But if they see even modest progress explained honestly and delivered consistently, they will continue to believe in the promise of democracy. Let our promises be realistic, our expectations be modest, our governance transparent and our accountability strong. In doing so, we can transform hope into progress, and democracy into a vehicle of real change.”
He commended the EXCO and members of GOCOP on its 9th anniversary and consistently creating platforms for the people to have honest conversations about the future of our democracy.
“This is where journalism at its best, and more specifically GOCOP in this digital age, becomes indispensable. You and your profession are the bridges between the leaders and the people. You shape narratives, hold leaders accountable and track progress.”
The governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This was confirmed by the Enugu APC Caretaker Chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye, while speaking to journalists on Friday.
According to him, Mbah will officially defect to the ruling party on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in Enugu, alongside federal and state lawmakers, the state executive council members, and ward and local government leaders across Enugu State.
The APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday dissolved the Enugu State Working Committee (SWC) over unresolved differences, appointing a seven-member caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party.
The wave of defections from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to grow.
A few months ago, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno and his Delta State counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori, both left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.
During the defection ceremonies held in Uyo and Asaba, the former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, revealed that more opposition governors and top party leaders were preparing to cross over to the ruling party.
On October 8, Kelvin Chukwu, the Senator representing Enugu East, also announced his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC.
His move raised the number of APC senators to 73, giving the party a two-thirds majority in the 109-member Senate — a threshold that allows it to easily pass major decisions and legislation.
At the moment, the Senate’s composition stands as follows: APC, 73 senators; PDP, 28; LP, four; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), two; and one each from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
• Ex-Speaker Odoh appointed Secretary
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dissolved the Enugu State working Committee of the party.
This is preparatory to the detection of Governor Peter Mbah to the ruling party.
The dissolution of the former party executive led by Ugochukwu Agballah came barely 2 days after the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji resigned over alleged certificate forgery.
Nnaji is an ally of Agballah, the now ex-chairman of APC in Enugu State.
Agballah and Nnaji had seriously opposed Mbah’s defection to the party.
However, Nwoye and other foundation members of the APC insisted that the governor is gladly welcome to the party.
Rising from its 179th meeting in Abuja on Thursday, the APC National Working Committee, NWC, dissolved the Agballah-led SWC with immediate effect.
In its place, former chairman of the party in the state, Barr Ben Nwoye is now the new helmsman of the party in the state.
A former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Barr Eugene Odo is the Secretary of the 7-man caretaker committee.
Resolution taken during the meeting was signed by Hon. Durosinmi Meseko, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC.
It reads in parts:
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its 179th meeting at the Party’s National Secretariat, Abuja, on Thursday, 9th October, 2025, presided over by the National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda.
“At the conclusion of the meeting, the following resolutions were reached:
1. Dissolution of Enugu State Executive Committee and Appointment of Caretaker Committee
The NWC approved the dissolution of the APC Enugu State Executive Committee with immediate effect, following a comprehensive review of the state of the Party in Enugu State.
Consequently, a seven (7) member Caretaker Committee has been constituted to oversee the affairs of the Party in the State.
The Committee, which will be inaugurated on Friday, 10th October, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, is composed as follows:
Dr. Ben Nwoye – Chairman
H.E. Mrs. Fidelia Njeze – Member
Comrade Peter Chime – Member
Dr. (Mrs.) Oby Ajih Member
Dr. Chiedozie Nwafor – Member
Engr. Emma Ekeh – Member
Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh – Secretary
Details of the APC resolution:
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