By Peter Omopo
Association blames supply challenges, not retailers, for cooking gas scarcity
The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGAR) has said that gas retailers should not be blamed for the recent spike and scarcity of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas, across the country.
Mr. Ayobami Olarinoye, Chairman of LPGAR under the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), stated this in a press release on Saturday in Lagos.
According to Olarinoye, the soaring cost and limited availability of LPG are the result of national supply challenges, not price manipulation by retailers.
“The recent scarcity and spike in LPG prices have brought untold hardship to millions of Nigerian households and businesses. We understand this pain and feel compelled to clarify the role of retailers in this crisis,” he said.
The clarification comes after the president of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) reportedly accused retailers of contributing to the price surge — a claim Olarinoye described as “unfair and misleading.”
He explained that retailers neither import LPG nor control supply at the depot level.
“Our operations are limited to buying gas from plant owners and selling to end-users. Many of us travel to neighbouring states to purchase LPG at high costs due to supply shortages, which naturally affects retail prices,” Olarinoye said.
He added that although the Dangote Refinery has maintained a stable gas price, supply irregularities from other sources have created a demand-supply gap, leading to rising market rates.
“Some retailers have had to shut their outlets for days or weeks because they couldn’t access supply, resulting in huge business losses and operational strain,” he noted.
The LPGAR chairman further explained that the price increase is driven purely by market forces and that retailers have little control over the situation.
“If plant owners increase prices, we have no choice but to adjust ours. We cannot be expected to sell at a loss,” he said.
Olarinoye called on the federal government and industry regulators to urgently address supply bottlenecks and ensure consistent distribution of LPG to stabilise prices and ease the burden on consumers.
