By Fatima Saka
In a troubling reflection of Nigeria’s deepening cost of living crisis, the price of cooking gas has surged from about ₦900 per kilogram to an alarming ₦1,750 per kilogram in recent times, an increase of nearly 95%. The spike is forcing households to rethink how they cook, survive, and manage already strained incomes.
In the early hours of Sunday, long queues formed at gas stations such as AA Rano in Karu LGA, FCT, where residents trooped in to refill cylinders. What was once a routine household purchase has become a financial calculation. For many families, filling a cylinder is no longer about convenience but survival and affordability.
Statistics from informal market observations show a sharp decline in purchase volumes. Where households previously refilled full cylinders, many now spend between ₦2,000 and ₦4,000, an amount that lasts only a few days. One kilogram (1kg) of cooking gas typically lasts between 2 to 5 days for a small family of 2 to 3 people. Depending on usage habits, this translates to roughly 5 to 8 hours of total cooking time, underscoring how limited household energy access has become.
For low- and middle-income earners, the impact is even more severe. Families that once relied entirely on cooking gas are now rationing usage or abandoning it altogether. The result is a growing shift back to charcoal and firewood as cheaper alternatives.
This reversal is particularly concerning at a time when climate change in Nigeria is already an active and worsening crisis. Rising temperatures, devastating flooding, and rapid desertification continue to threaten public health, infrastructure, and agricultural productivity across the country.
In northern Nigeria, the Sahara Desert is steadily advancing southwards, shrinking arable land and water resources in states such as Kano, Yobe, Sokoto, and Katsina. This is destroying farmlands and accelerating climate induced migration. In the southern and coastal regions, rising sea levels and intense rainfall are exposing cities such as Lagos, Bayelsa, and Anambra to repeated large scale flooding, displacing millions and increasing outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Nationally, Nigeria’s average temperature has risen by about 1.2°C over recent decades, intensifying heatwaves and worsening respiratory and skin conditions, particularly in areas affected by gas flaring. These trends highlight a worsening climate emergency that demands urgent mitigation—not increased reliance on polluting alternatives.
Yet the return to charcoal and firewood, driven by high cooking gas prices, is accelerating deforestation and environmental degradation. Loss of tree cover increases carbon emissions while removing natural buffers against flooding and extreme heat. Meanwhile, poor waste management, especially plastic pollution in urban centres like Lagos continues to block drainage systems, worsening flood impacts even during moderate rainfall.
The economic toll is also deepening. Climate, related disruptions such as erratic rainfall and pest outbreaks are reducing agricultural productivity, contributing to rising food inflation and increasing the cost of basic commodities, including poultry and staple foods.
Although the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) is coordinating Nigeria’s climate response with a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030, implementation remains constrained by inadequate funding for climate resilience measures such as afforestation and nature-based solutions.
The irony is stark. While policy frameworks and global commitments have long promoted cooking gas as a cleaner and healthier household energy source, rising prices are pushing Nigerians back toward more harmful and environmentally damaging fuels. What was once a transition toward cleaner energy is now becoming a luxury beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
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If urgent interventions are not implemented, through price stabilization, targeted subsidies, and stronger investment in domestic gas production, Nigeria risks reversing gains in clean energy adoption, worsening environmental degradation, and deepening socio-economic inequality.
The cooking gas crisis is therefore no longer just an economic issue; it is a public health concern, a climate emergency, and a policy challenge demanding immediate action. The question remains whether decisive steps will be taken, or whether millions of Nigerians will continue sliding deeper into energy poverty with long-term consequences for the environment and future generations.
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