By Amarachi Jim-Nwoko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – In a rare show of force, Nigeria’s security agencies have been drafted into the fight against soaring cooking gas prices, as the Federal Government moves to crush illegal hoarding and cross-border diversion of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources convened an emergency meeting on Monday, pulling in the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigeria Police Force alongside regulators, producers, and marketers to tackle supply disruptions driving up household costs.
The urgent stakeholders’ engagement, announced by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), comes after weeks of sharp increases in LPG prices that have strained family budgets and pushed up the cost of essential goods.
Permanent Secretary Patience Oyekunle told the gathering that LPG remains “a critical energy source for households and an important component of Nigeria’s energy transition agenda,” adding that collective action is needed to restore access to affordable cooking gas.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said President Bola Tinubu had directed agencies to take proactive steps given public concern over rising prices. He stressed that boosting supply must go hand-in-hand with efficient logistics, better infrastructure, and transparent pricing so consumers feel the impact.
NMDPRA Authority Chief Executive Mallam Rabiu Umar acknowledged that high landing costs are still affecting prices but said ongoing measures should ease pressure in coming weeks. The Authority is working with producers to raise domestic supply, tighten market oversight, and improve availability.
Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, identified infrastructure gaps, domestic supply constraints, logistics hurdles, market distortions, and global disruptions as key drivers of the price spike.
Recent interventions are already showing results: national LPG supply sufficiency jumped from 11 days to 22 days, while average daily supply rose from 4,262 metric tonnes in May 2026 to 5,040 metric tonnes in June 2026.
Stakeholders across the value chain pledged support for government efforts but flagged persistent challenges in storage, transportation, distribution, and market efficiency.
The meeting ended with agreed measures including intensified market monitoring, tougher enforcement against malpractice, expanded storage and distribution infrastructure, increased domestic production, better product tracking, improved access to market data, and stronger industry collaboration.
Closing the session, Minister Ekpo directed all parties to act immediately to boost supply, cut inefficiencies, and protect consumers. “Success will be measured by increased LPG availability, improved distribution efficiency, and reduced price pressures nationwide,” he said.
