Some consumers and retailers of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas, have called on the federal government to ensure steady availability and price stability of the product.

They spoke with journalists on Monday in Abuja in reaction to the recent surge in LPG prices, following the face-off between the Dangote Refinery and petroleum workers’ unions.

The respondents said that though the queues and scarcity were gradually easing, government intervention was needed to restore full product circulation and regulate pricing.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) had linked the price hike to a temporary disruption in gas loading and distribution during the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) strike.

The strike, prompted by the dismissal of Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery, led to several days of halted operations, jetty delays, and what NNPC described as an “artificial” price surge.

The strike was suspended on October 1, following the government’s intervention.

Before the crisis, LPG sold for between N1,100 and N1,200 per kg in the FCT, but prices spiked to between N1,400 and N1,800 per kg in some locations, amid worsening scarcity attributed to supply shortfalls.

According to checks, there are no queues at the private outlets in Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Lugbe, and Nyanya-Karshi axis. However, short queues are observed at NIPCO refilling outlets on the Nyanya-Karshi axis, which maintains N1,080 per kg.

Rose Peters, a consumer, expressed displeasure after queuing for a few hours at NIPCO along the Nyanya-Karshi axis before refilling, noting that it was due to its low price.

Another consumer, John Okoro, who decried the high prices being witnessed, urged the government to ensure its affordability in view of its push for penetration and utilisation of clean energy in the country.

“I live in Gwagwalada; though there are no queues or scarcity, currently, the product sells at N1,400 per kg against N1,200 per kg sold before the crisis; I expect normalcy,” he said.

Emmanuel Ekesi, a consumer who called for proper price regulation, decried that Nigerians seized the opportunity created by the strike to hike prices.

Mr Ekesi said he bought gas at Shafa station at Lugbe at N1,500 per kg.

Oh his part, Promise Ajujumbu, a seller and public relations officer of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGAR), Nyanya unit, said its scarcity and price hike began when the unions embarked on strike, leading to supply disruptions across outlets, despite a fragile supply chain.

Mr Ajujumbu said that though the strike caused a supply gap, getting the product had been difficult as tankers queued for days.

According to him, the situation is gradually easing, and full product circulation is expected.

He appealed to the government to collaborate with the Dangote Refinery to ensure an affordable price for the product, as the refinery sells it at N780 per litre to marketers.

(NAN)