Cooking gas: Awka residents lament over soaring price, want government’s intervention
Awka, June 2026 (TBL Africa ) Some residents of Awka have expressed concerns over what they described as outrageous hike in the price of cooking gas, appealing for urgent government’s intervention to ameliorate the impact on Nigerians.
The residents bared their minds in separate interviews on Tuesday in Awka, while reacting to the instability in the price of cooking gas in the last six months.
Mr Ralphael Okafor, Chief Executive Officer, Ricolen Enterprise Nigeria, a cooking gas retail outlet in Awka, said he has been in the business for more 30 years, but noted that the unstable price of the product since the beginning of the year has been extraordinary.
“At the beginning of this year, one kilogram of cooking gas was sold for N1, 050, the price later rose to N1,150 and from there to N1, 200, before it got to N1,500. As we speak, the price now hovers between N1, 800 and N2, 000 depending on your location,’’ he said.
Okafor said that the hike was seriously affecting the business as some customers now resorted to using firewood and charcoal to cook.
He said there was urgent need for government to look into the factors causing the unstable price, considering the importance of the product to most households in both urban and rural communities.
“Government should brainstorm to find a lasting solution to this cooking gas problem; whether it is shortage as a result of inadequate production or sabotage from the distributors and marketers, action should be taking to stablise the price,’’ he said.
Okafor said for one kilogram of cooking gas to be selling for between N1,800 and N2000 has obvious huge economic impact on the people.
He also noted the climatic/environmental impacts of using firewood and charcoal with the attendant environmental implications cannot be over emphasised.
According to him, government should intervene to possibly unravel the reasons affecting price starting from production, distribution to retailing with a view to reducing the cost to the end users.
Mrs Chindimma Okoye, a civil servant who also spoke on the matter said the hike was compounding cost of living condition for families especially salaries earners.
She said, for my family of six, we use 12.5kg cylinder for about two months and spending about N25, 000 to buy cooking gas, in addition to other domestic bills is serious burden.
Another civil servant, Mrs Uju Igbelina, said the cost of cooking gas at Nise near Awka had gone up to N2,100 per kilogram due to semi-urban nature of the place.
Igbelina, appealed to government to look into the problem as the situation was adversely affecting many families.
Mrs Ukamaka Ufelle, another Awka-based civil servant, said she bought 12.5 kg at N25,000 as against N17, 500 in April, saying that the hike was adding to challenges people are facing to feed.
She suggested for a summit to enable government look into the problem so as to find lasting solution to the matter.
Mr Chinedu Uwguoke, a business man lamented that the cost of cooking gas and foodstuffs in the markets were getting out of the reach of most Nigerians.
Ugwuoke appealed to government to come up with measures to cushion the effects of cooking gas, diesel and other petroleum products to reduce the cost of living.
Mrs Amara Onuora, an Awka-based petty trader who also decried the hike in cooking gas, said she no longer use the product, but charcoal stove.
Onuora said that before using cooking gas, she was using kerosene stove, but as a result of scarcity and hike in the price of the product, she resorted to cooking gas which is now beyond her reach.
“With the prevalent hike in cooking gas price, people are faced with more serious challenges to feed. As a mother, I have decided to be using charcoal stove pending when things will get better,’’ she said.
