For millions of Nigerian families, the kitchen has become a new frontline of economic survival. As the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, has soared by 67% in just one month, households across the country are being forced to abandon the government’s long-promoted clean cooking agenda in favor of cheaper, dirtier, and more hazardous alternatives like charcoal and firewood.
What was until recently a reliable, convenient, and relatively affordable cooking fuel has become a luxury many can no longer sustain. In Lagos, a kilogram of cooking gas now sells for as high as N2,500, up from less than N1,500 last month. For a typical family, the monthly gas bill has jumped from an estimated N224 billion nationally to over N362 billion, a staggering burden in an economy already reeling from broader inflation and stagnant wages.
Households Caught Between Health and Hunger
For women like Esther Emmanuel at Pakuro, Mowe, in Ogun State, the shift has been gradual but painful. A dedicated cooking gas user for eight years, she now finds herself rationing refills and keeping charcoal as a backup. “Sometimes I delay refilling because other expenses come first,” she says. Still in Mowe, Fatimoh Megbon has switched almost entirely to charcoal, finding that N5,500 for a 25kg bag stretches much further than gas.
In Ogba, Aisha Banji household now alternates between gas and charcoal. “I don’t like charcoal because of the smoke and stress, but we don’t have much choice,” she explains. “Many people in my area are doing the same. Some are even going back to firewood.”
These are not merely stories of inconvenience. They represent a regression in public health and environmental quality. The shift to charcoal and firewood exposes families, especially women and children, to indoor air pollution, a leading cause of respiratory illnesses. It also accelerates deforestation, reversing hard-won gains in Nigeria’s clean energy transition.
Small Businesses Stretched to Breaking Point
For food vendors and small-scale caterers, the energy crisis cuts directly into already thin profit margins. Patience Eke, who operates a food stall in Ojodu, Berger in Lagos now reserves gas for quick meals and uses charcoal for slow-cooking dishes. “Customers don’t always understand when prices go up, but cooking costs are now a major issue,” she says.
Some bulk LPG traders report that supply to independent marketers has dropped to near zero in recent weeks, leaving trucks idle and stations closed. One trader, speaking anonymously to DAILY INDEPENDENT, described a “survival-of-the-fittest market” where major suppliers prioritise internal distribution while importers are squeezed by unpredictable pricing.
Structural Failures Behind the Stove
While households bear the immediate pain, industry experts point to deeper structural failures. Despite Nigeria’s ambition to raise LPG consumption from 1.5 million to 5–6 million metric tonnes annually by 2030, per capita usage remains abysmally low at about 7kg per year, far below the global average of 25–30kg.
The crisis has multiple layers: global supply disruptions from the Middle East, rising freight costs, and local market distortions. The Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM) has accused refiners of hoarding and market manipulation, though some companies deny this. Meanwhile, the Dangote Refinery has distanced itself from the supply shortfall, stating that LPG is merely a by-product of its operations and not a core business focus.
Energy economist Prof. Wumi Iledare warns against simplistic solutions. “The price spike reflects a deeper structural issue,” he says. “If imports are declining while domestic supply is insufficient, the market is simply signaling a supply imbalance.” He cautions against blanket subsidies, urging instead a focus on boosting domestic production and removing supply chain bottlenecks.
A Generation Relearning Hardship
The crisis is even reshaping daily habits among younger Nigerians. Daniel Oladosu, a student in Yaba, admits he now cooks less frequently. “Sometimes it is cheaper to buy food than to cook,” he says. In Isolo, Olawunmi Ajayi notes that households now “calculate everything” , cooking once a day to stretch every refill.
For some families, the regression has been total. A mother of four in Mowe says her household abandoned gas entirely for a period, relying solely on charcoal and firewood. “It was stressful, especially for the children, because of the smoke,” she recalls. “We later returned to gas, but now we are thinking of going back again.”
The Way Forward: Beyond Subsidies
As Nigerians groan under the weight of rising energy costs, the government faces a stark choice: continue a clean cooking campaign that is becoming unaffordable for the masses, or intervene strategically to stabilise the LPG market without creating new distortions.
What is clear is that for millions of households, the kitchen is no longer just a place of nourishment, it has become a daily calculus of survival, balancing health, cost, and time in an economy that offers few easy answers.
SOURCE: Independent