Abuja (Nigeria): Some consumers and retailers of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas, have called on the Federal Government to ensure steady availability and price stability of the product.
They spoke on Monday in Abuja in reaction to the recent surge in LPG prices, following the face-off between the Dangote Refinery and petroleum workers’ unions.
The respondents stated that although the queues and scarcity were gradually easing, government intervention was necessary to restore full product circulation and regulate pricing.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) had linked the price hike to a temporary disruption in gas loading and distribution during the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) strike.
The strike, prompted by the dismissal of Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery, led to several days of halted operations, jetty delays, and what NNPC described as an “artificial” price surge.
The strike was suspended on Oct. 1, following the government’s intervention.
Before the crisis, LPG sold for between N1,100 and N1,200 per kg in the FCT, but prices spiked to between N1,400 and N1,800 per kg in some locations, amid worsening scarcity attributed to supply shortfalls.
There are no queues at the private outlets in Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Lugbe and Nyanya-Karshi axis. In contrast, short queues are seen at NIPCO refilling outlets on the Nyanya-Karshi axis, which has maintained a price of N1,080 per kg.
Mrs Rose Peters, a consumer, expressed displeasure after queuing for a few hours at NIPCO along the Nyanya-Karshi axis before refilling, adding that it was so due to its low price.
Another consumer, John Okoro, who decried the high prices being witnessed, urged the government to ensure the affordability of clean energy in view of its push for penetration and utilisation in the country.
“I live in Gwagwalada; though there are no queues or scarcity, but currently, the product sells at N1,400 per kg against N1,200 per kg sold before the crisis; I expect normalcy,” she said.
Mr Emmanuel Ekesi, a consumer, who called for proper regulation of the prices, decried the fact that Nigerians seized the opportunity created by the strike to hike prices.
Ekesi said he bought gas at Shafa station in Lugbe at N1,500 per kg.
On his part, Mr Promise Ajujumbu, Chief Executive Officer of Promise of God Gas, stated that the scarcity and price hike began when the unions went on strike, resulting in supply disruptions across outlets despite a fragile supply chain.
Ajujumbu, Public Relations Officer of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGAR), Nyanya Unit, stated that the strike has resulted in a supply gap, making it challenging to obtain the product due to tankers queuing for days.
According to him, the situation is easing gradually, with full product circulation expected.
He appealed to the government to collaborate with the Dangote Refinery to enable an affordable price of the product since the refinery sells at N780 per litre to marketers.