Nigeria’s cooking gas supply doubles to 22 days as regulator intervenes in price crisis

By Editor

Nigeria’s liquefied petroleum gas LPG supply buffer has doubled to 22 days following a series of regulatory interventions by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority NMDPRA, offering some relief amid a mounting cooking gas price crisis that prompted an emergency government meeting on Sunday.

The improvement, up from just 11 days of stock sufficiency was disclosed by NMDPRA’s Authority Chief Executive, Rabiu Umar, during a presentation at an emergency stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Gas in Abuja on June 22, 2026, to address soaring LPG prices.

Data presented by Umar showed that between June 1 and June 19, 2026, Nigeria recorded a total LPG supply of 95,769.26 metric tonnes from domestic production, imports and truck-outs — translating to an average daily supply of 5,040.49 metric tonnes. This marks a notable uptick from the 4,262 metric tonnes average recorded daily in May 2026.

As of June 21, Nigeria’s LPG stock stood at 85.87 million kilograms, providing an estimated 22.08 days of supply sufficiency.

Despite the progress, the regulator acknowledged that a significant supply gap remains. LPG supply coverage improved from 78.7 per cent in 2024 to 88.4 per cent in 2025, but had moderated to 86 per cent year-to-date in 2026, with a supply deficit of 91,966 metric tonnes recorded as of June 18.

Umar attributed the current market stress to a combination of global and domestic factors. On the international front, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East — particularly the United States-Israel-Iran conflict,  have driven global supply disruptions and price volatility that have rippled through Nigeria’s domestic market.

Locally, the regulator identified low import volumes, inadequate distribution infrastructure, and the sale of products at non-cost-reflective prices by some wholesalers and retailers as compounding the crisis.

A particularly striking finding in the presentation was the scale of LPG exports despite domestic shortages. While domestic production accounts for 88.2 per cent of total LPG supplied in Nigeria year-to-date, a significant share of locally produced volumes is being exported. The presentation revealed that Chevron exported its entire LPG output during the January to May 2026 period — a disclosure likely to intensify scrutiny of export policies amid domestic supply pressure.

To bridge the supply gap and rein in prices, NMDPRA said it has engaged terminal operators, domestic producers and suppliers, with interventions yielding the improvement in stock sufficiency now recorded.

Going further, the authority outlined a package of immediate and medium-term measures. These include issuing import permits to cover projected supply gaps, redirecting export volumes into the domestic market, auditing off-takers lifting volumes from the Nigeria LNG Limited NLNG and NNPC, and intensifying market surveillance to tackle profiteering among marketers.

On the supply side, Umar said engagement is ongoing with gas producers, with Anoh Gas expected to begin LPG supply of 50 metric tonnes per day from July 2026 — a development the regulator described as a step toward expanding domestic availability.

Longer-term, NMDPRA said it would pursue the expansion of storage and distribution infrastructure nationwide to reduce the structural vulnerabilities that have repeatedly triggered supply crunches.

The emergency meeting underscores the urgency with which the federal government is treating the LPG price surge, which has put cooking gas out of reach for millions of Nigerian households that rely on it as their primary fuel source.