FG moves against cooking gas hoarding as DSS, EFCC join emergency LPG pricing meeting

The Federal Government has convened an emergency stakeholders’ engagement involving the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigeria Police Force to address alleged Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) hoarding and diversion to neighbouring countries.

The meeting, convened by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, followed recent increases in cooking gas prices and was aimed at developing coordinated measures to stabilise supply, improve affordability, and strengthen market operations across the country.

According to a statement by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the engagement also brought together regulators, producers, marketers, terminal operators and industry associations to identify key drivers of price escalation and agree on practical interventions across the LPG value chain.

Speaking at the meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Patience Oyekunle, described LPG as a critical household energy source and a key component of Nigeria’s energy transition agenda, warning that rising prices were increasing pressure on household incomes.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said President Bola Tinubu was concerned about the situation and had directed relevant agencies to take proactive steps to address supply and pricing challenges.

He stressed that improved supply must be matched with efficient logistics, better infrastructure and transparent pricing mechanisms to ensure consumers benefit from market interventions.

The Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Umar, noted that high landing costs remained a major factor influencing LPG prices but expressed optimism that ongoing interventions would ease pressure in the coming weeks.

He added that the regulator was working with producers to boost domestic supply and strengthen market oversight.

In a technical presentation, the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Ogbugo Ukoha, identified infrastructure gaps, supply constraints, logistics challenges and global disruptions as key factors affecting pricing.

He disclosed that national LPG supply sufficiency had improved from 11 days to 22 days, while average daily supply increased from 4,262 metric tonnes in May 2026 to 5,040 metric tonnes in June 2026.

Stakeholders at the meeting pledged support for government efforts but highlighted persistent challenges in storage, transportation and distribution efficiency.

Agreed measures include tighter market monitoring, enforcement against malpractice, expansion of storage infrastructure, improved domestic production, enhanced product tracking systems and stronger inter-agency collaboration.

In his closing remarks, the minister directed stakeholders to take immediate steps to improve supply and eliminate inefficiencies, stressing that success would be measured by increased availability and reduced price pressures nationwide.

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