The Federal Government has convened an emergency stakeholders’ meeting involving the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigeria Police Force to address the growing challenge of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) hoarding and diversion to neighbouring countries.

The intervention comes amid a recent surge in cooking gas prices, which has placed additional pressure on households and businesses across the country. The meeting, organised by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), brought together regulators, producers, marketers, terminal operators, and industry associations to identify the factors driving the increase in prices and develop measures to stabilise the market.

Speaking during the engagement, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Patience Oyekunle, described LPG as a critical source of energy for Nigerian households and an important component of the country’s energy transition strategy.

She warned that the continued rise in cooking gas prices is increasing the financial burden on families and contributing to higher costs for essential goods and services. Oyekunle stressed the need for coordinated action across the sector to ensure that Nigerians have access to affordable cooking gas.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said President Bola Tinubu is concerned about the impact of rising LPG prices on citizens and has directed relevant agencies to take proactive steps to address the situation.

According to the minister, increasing supply alone will not solve the problem unless it is supported by efficient logistics, improved infrastructure, and transparent pricing systems.

“Improved supply must be matched by efficient distribution and responsible conduct. Bottlenecks, hoarding, speculative storage, allocation inefficiencies, logistics constraints, and pricing distortions must not undermine public confidence,” Ekpo said.

He disclosed that security agencies would work closely with regulators to curb diversion, illegal storage, hoarding, and other practices contributing to artificial scarcity in the market.

“Security agencies (DG DSS, Chairman EFCC, IG Nigerian Police Force) will support regulators in preventing diversion, hoarding, illegal storage, and disruption of legitimate supply movement along key LPG corridors,” the minister stated.

Ekpo further revealed that marketers had indicated their willingness to increase imports where necessary, while additional supplies are expected from new domestic facilities, including the Seplat gas facility. He also announced plans to explore a local blending initiative involving Nigeria LNG Limited, local producers, and operators of the Port Harcourt plant to reduce dependence on imports and lower logistics costs.

“We are also exploring a local blending initiative with Nigeria LNG Limited, local producers, and the Port Harcourt plant operator to move locally produced LPG closer to the market, reduce import pressure and logistics costs, improve reliability, and support more stable pricing,” he said.

The Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Rabiu Umar, acknowledged that high landing costs remain a major factor influencing domestic LPG prices. However, he expressed confidence that ongoing interventions across the supply chain would gradually ease market pressures.

Umar said the regulatory authority is collaborating with producers and other stakeholders to boost domestic supply, strengthen market oversight, and improve product availability nationwide.

In a presentation delivered by the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, the NMDPRA identified infrastructure deficiencies, domestic supply limitations, logistics challenges, market distortions, and disruptions in global supply chains as major contributors to current pricing pressures.

The authority reported notable improvements in supply levels following recent engagements with producers, suppliers, and terminal operators. According to Ukoha, national LPG supply sufficiency increased 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 at the meeting pledged support for government efforts while drawing attention to persistent challenges affecting storage, transportation, distribution, and overall market efficiency.

Measures agreed upon during the engagement include intensified market monitoring, stricter enforcement against malpractice, expansion of storage and distribution infrastructure, increased domestic production, improved product tracking systems, enhanced access to market information, and stronger collaboration among operators across the LPG value chain.

In his closing remarks, Ekpo directed all stakeholders to take immediate action to improve supply, eliminate inefficiencies, and protect consumers from further price shocks. He stated that the success of the intervention would be measured by greater LPG availability, improved distribution efficiency, and lower price pressures across the country.

The emergency meeting reflects the government’s latest effort to stabilise the cooking gas market and ensure that cleaner energy remains accessible and affordable for millions of Nigerians.