Cooking gas price surge wipes out minimum wage gains, households struggle

Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — Despite a marginal drop in July, the steep year-on-year surge in cooking gas prices continues to pile pressure on Nigerian households, eroding the effect of the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in its July LPG Price Watch, reported that the average cost of refilling a 5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) dropped slightly by 0.96 percent to N8,243.79 from N8,323.95 in June.

Yet, this represents a 37.98 percent increase compared to N5,974.55 recorded in July 2024.

For the 12.5kg cylinder mostly used by larger families, the average retail price fell by 1.91 percent month-on-month to N20,609.48 in July, down from N21,010.56 in June.

On a year-on-year basis, however, the price jumped by 44.51 percent from N14,261.57 in July 2024.

With the new minimum wage at N70,000, the average worker would spend nearly 12 percent of their monthly income to refill a 12.5kg cylinder just once, underscoring the deepening cost-of-living crisis.

Families relying on more than one refill per month would see their household energy expenses consume an even larger portion of their salaries.

State analysis shows Adamawa recorded the highest average price for 5kg refills at N9,011.36, followed by Rivers at N9,005.00 and Taraba at N8,945.43. Yobe, Niger, and Nasarawa offered some relief with N7,612.00, N7,662.00, and N8,000.25 respectively.

For the 12.5kg cylinder, Adamawa again topped at N22,528.39, closely trailed by Rivers at N22,512.49 and Taraba at N22,363.57. The lowest prices were recorded in Yobe (N19,030.00), Niger (N19,154.99), and Nasarawa (N20,000.62).

Zonal analysis indicates that the South-South remains the most expensive region for consumers, averaging N8,511.26 for 5kg and N21,278.14 for 12.5kg. The South-West, with N8,073.92 and N20,184.79 respectively, recorded the lowest average prices.

Although July saw a slight price reduction compared to June, the steep year-on-year increase means many households remain trapped between rising living costs and stagnant earnings, with gas affordability now a central concern for Nigeria’s energy security and household welfare.