With the escalating hike in the cost of cooking gas (LPG) in recent times, Nigerians have resorted to readily available alternatives to help them cushion the effect of the soaring cost.
The escalating cost of cooking gas in Nigeria-surging to as high as N2,000, N2,400, or N3,000 per kilogram in some areas-has sparked widespread outrage and hardship. Households, food vendors, and marketers are demanding urgent federal intervention, warning that the hikes threaten to reverse years of progress in clean energy adoption.
The unrelenting price surge has generated massive reactions and significant shifts in daily life across the country:
A survey conducted by our correspondent across some neighbourhoods within Lagos metropolis and environs revealed that, besides the soaring cost of cooking gas, the majority of the gas stations did not have supply, thus further exacerbating the crisis.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that prior to the hike, a one kg gas went for an average cost of N1200-1300 across the majority of retailers while wholesalers sold at least N990-N1050.
However, with the scarcity, the price surge was inevitable; hence, for many households the way out was to get anything else but gas.
Thus, driven by the exorbitant cost of refilling cylinders, millions of lower- and middle-class families are being forced to revert to firewood and charcoal.
Families report being forced to choose between feeding their children and paying for gas, with many now rationing by purchasing gas in tiny, fractional amounts rather than filling standard N12.5kg or N5kg cylinders.
Food vendors, roadside caterers, and small-scale restaurants are caught in a bind. The rising energy costs erode profit margins, forcing them to either pass the exorbitant costs to consumers or operate at a loss.
Sharing her experience, one of our respondents, Mrs. Obiamaka Anima, who hitherto got her cat fish specially dried by a vendor, had a rethink.
Last week she bought her fresh fish and, as usual, carried them to the food dryer; to her surprise, the dryer had increased her price by about 40%. Previously, drying a kilo was N500, but now N700.
‘I like to buy her fresh catfish, then get professional food dryers to prepare them for me before storing them up for use later if I want to cook, especially when it comes to cooking Nigerian soups for pounded yam etcetera. But that has changed now due to the escalating cost of cooking gas,’ she recalled.
According to Mrs Anima, the dryer, Mama Ejima explained that the price went up because of the high cost of cooking gas. ‘My sister and I were buying 1kg of gas for N1300 but now I buy gas for N3,000 per kg. I would have changed to charcoal, but I am an asthmatic patient, so smoke is a no-go area for me.
‘Also, I only agree to dry if I have enough fish to fill my oven. Before, I used to use my oven if it was not filled to capacity, but in order to maximise my gas, the oven must be full.’
Apart from rationing gas, many consumers have turned to using charcoal and firewood, which are far cheaper than gas. Many have also resorted to electric cookers and kerosene stoves.
Also, a civil servant in Enugu, Ijeoma Okoye, said she uses a charcoal pot which cooks as fast as gas and does not emit any smoke when very hot. ‘When the price of gas got as high as N37,000 per 12.5kg cylinder, I got a reference from a colleague at work who was already using it.’
The mother of five said she bought the charcoal pot for N25,000 and spends about so on N500 on charcoal every week.
Another Consumer who gave her name as simply Funmi said she has no regrets using the charcoal pot. Funmi, a resident of Miro in Lagos, said she bought her charcoal pot about two years ago from Abule Egba market. ‘I just bought it after hearing about it, but now it has come in handy.’
However, with many people turning to charcoal pots, the price has started going up. In major cities in Nigeria, charcoal generally costs N6,000 to N9,500 for a standard bag of 50kg sack, but now the price is gradually rising.
For smaller everyday needs, you can buy a 20L paint bucket or smaller nylon packs for about N300 to N4,000 depending on your exact location.
Mrs Madeyese, a charcoal seller, said a 50kg bag was around N5,000, but three months ago, the price rose to N10,000. She noted that despite the cost, many families still consider it cheaper than gas.
Mrs Janice said that though she uses a coal pot, which she said even cooks faster than gas, she prefers cooking with gas. ‘When the coal pot starts catching fire, it emits smoke, which is the only disadvantage, and that is what I hate about it, but when all the charcoal turns red, the smoke stops.’
Mrs Irene Irebawa, a mother of three, says she cooks mainly at night when electricity is usually stable in her area at Satellite. ‘Fortunately, we do not have prepaid but estimated billings from Nepa. Our light is usually stable from about 11 pm to 6 am, so I use the opportunity to make food for my family.’
Further investigations, however, revealed that people using prepaid to buy electricity are not enjoying electric cookers.
‘I only use an electric cooker once in a while because of my prepaid. It is not really cheaper than gas except when you are on estimated billings,’ said Dupe Adekunle of Ikeja.
Some food vendors have also turned to firewood, which they claim is not easy to manage, but has to endure because it is cheaper than cooking gas.
To worsen the matter, the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers [NALPGAM] has also warned that the supply crisis could push millions of households and businesses into deeper hardship.
Operators in the industry attribute the rise to supply pressure in depots, high replacement cost, logistical hiccups, and foreign exchange pressure influencing importation and distribution of LPG.
Investigations revealed that the price of cooking gas has been surging. It rose from N1,200 to N1,500, then N1,700 and N1,800 per kilo and now, as at June 12th, it is selling for N2,000-N2400 in various towns in Nigeria. Many Consumers refilled a 12.5kg cylinder of gas for N27,700 and more last week.
According to Mr Lekan Ahmad, a resident of Agege, Lagos, ‘Initially, when my wife came to ask for more money to add to the one I had given her to purchase cooking gas, I thought she was cheating and refused to give her the money, but when I drove to the gas plant myself, I saw things for myself.
‘It is so frustrating. We are now using both charcoal and gas to cook. I usually have many visitors, so my wife does a lot of cooking.’
For Madam Ireti, the price surge has increased pressure. ‘Buying gas is not something we plan for, but now it has become a project which you have to plan very well. The last time I went to refill, I was shocked. At N2,700 per kilo, many families will find it difficult to refill.
‘It means cooking beans, cow leg/skin and other food items that take a long time to cook will be a no-go area now. My children love bean porridge; how will I cope,’ lamented the mother of three.
Restaurants are not left out in the saga. Though the price of beans is relatively stable now, due to the cost of cooking gas and because it takes longer to cook, the price of beans meal in restaurants has increased.
According to Thomas Okoye, ‘I ordered a meal of rice and beans in my regular restaurant, but when the food appeared, the beans were so small, and the owner of the restaurant explained that she might stop cooking beans entirely as it was burning up her cooking gas.’
Another food vendor, Mrs Dora Ike, said she had to pass the cost to customers. ‘I do not like what is happening, but I have no choice. If production cost increases, then the cost of food will increase. Gas is the only thing I use in cooking.’
At Chioma’s Bar at Igbosere, Lagos Island, noted for cow leg/cowtail and all manner of pepper soup, the story is the same. Prices of their products have slightly adjusted upwards.
Executive secretary of the NALPGAM, Bassey Essien, said that marketers have made repeated representations to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) seeking incentives, but have not received relief.
‘The problem is beyond marketers. Domestic suppliers such as NLNG and the Dangote Refinery cannot meet the rising demand,’ Essien said.