By Dorcas Charles
Residents of Kwara and Benue states paid the highest cooking gas (liquefied petroleum gas) costs in December 2022, according to a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Nigerians in Kwara State paid an average of N4,950 for a 5kg refill. And for 12.5kg refilling, Nigerians in Benue state paid an average of N11,000.
The LPG report by the NBS further showed that the average retail price for refilling a 5kg cylinder of cooking gas increased by 0.36% on a month-on-month basis from N4,549.14 recorded in November 2022 to N4,565.56 in December 2022. On a year-on-year basis, the price rose by 27.00% from N3,594.81 in December 2021.
The average retail price for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas increased by 0.67% on a month-on-month basis from N10,180.88 in November 2022 to N10,248.97 in December 2022. On a year-on-year basis, the price rose by 39.78% from N7,332.04 in December 2021.
On a regional basis, the Northeast had the highest LPG cost at N4,693.99 for 5kg refilling. Meanwhile, the South-South region had the highest LPG cost at N10,527.09 for 12.5kg refilling during the period under review.
LPG prices are on the rise due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has affected logistics and supply chains, especially for suppliers who still have to import LPG into the country as Nigeria cannot produce enough to meet domestic demand. These LPG imports are paid for in US Dollars, and consumers will have to pay for the expenses that suppliers incur when importing LPG.
Aljazirah Nigeria had earlier reported that more Nigerian companies are projected to go into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production this year.
Oluwatomi Mayowa, a senior analyst at Financial Derivatives Company, projected that in 2023, more companies will go into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production which will increase the country’s capacity. However, with the current numbers, Nigeria will likely not be self-sufficient in cooking gas production in 2023 as the country will still need to rely on imports to make up for shortfalls.
Meanwhile, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown that Nigerians based in the South-East region paid the highest kerosene costs in December 2022.
The NBS’ National Household Kerosene Price Watch report, which was recent, disclosed that South-Eastern Nigerians paid an average of N1,203.95 per litre of kerosene. Also, the average cost of a gallon of kerosene in the region cost N4,337.32.
The report further revealed that the average retail price per litre of kerosene paid by consumers in December 2022 was N1,104.61, which indicates an increase of 1.94% compared to N1,083.57 recorded in November 2022.
Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, the average retail price per litre of the commodity rose by 136.04% from N467.97 in December 2021.
The average price per litre of kerosene in the South-South was N1,087.15, in the South-West, it was N1,177.89, Meanwhile in the North-East, the cost was N1,085.65, in the North-West, it was N1,011.49 and in the North Central, it was N1,095.17 for the period under review.
The average price per gallon of kerosene in the South-South was N3,429.82, in the South-West it was N3,751.05. Meanwhile, in the North-East, the cost was N3,378.69, in the North-West, it was N3,722.18 and in the North Central, it was N3,967.97, for the period under review.
Many poor Nigerians cannot afford to purchase cooking gas to prepare their meals. As of 2021, kerosene price per litre was less than N500, so a lot of Nigerians who could not afford cooking gas bought kerosene as an alternative cooking source.
However, with the cost increments recorded since 2021 and into 2022, some Nigerians are now turning to firewood as cooking fuel. The problem with that is, firewood is a dirty fuel and contributes to carbon emissions which pollute the environment.
According to ReliefWeb, solid fuels like firewood produce carbon, which is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Also, firewood or charcoal contributes to deforestation which further hurts the planet.
In the second quarter of 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari updated Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to include the elimination of kerosene lighting by 2030, which is seven years from now.

Representatives.”