The Nigerian government says it has made arrangements for importation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as the immediate solution to bring down the rising prices of the essential commodity.
The price of LPG, also known as cooking gas, has risen astronomically across Nigeria in the past weeks, forcing residents in Bayelsa and other areas to look for alternative solutions, some of which are unhealthy.
Rabiu Umar, the chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA), announced the planned importation of gas during a meeting with stakeholders in Abuja.
According to him, import would help close the existing supply gap.
He also noted that the country needed to expand LPG storage, terminal, and distribution facilities across the country to address scarcity.
“Imports represent the only immediate option for filling the gap created in supply, aside from the prospect of MT supply from Anoh,” he stated.
“We must expand LPG storage, terminal, and distribution infrastructure nationwide and increase domestic LPG production through accelerated gas processing projects as well as prioritize domestic LPG supply obligations by gas producers,” he added.
Umar further noted that the N2,100 per liter price of cooking gas is not cost-effective but rather market-induced due to supply shortages.
This is coming as cooking gas prices surged by 75 percent in the last weeks to as high as N2,100 per kilogramme from N1,200 in different parts of the country.
