NMDPRA: Cooking Gas Imports Surge While Domestic Petrol Supply Declines By 22%

Nigeria’s imports of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, rose by 1,400 per cent in June 2026, even as domestic petrol supply fell by 22 per cent within the same period, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The figures are contained in the NMDPRA’s Fact Sheet for June, released on Friday, 17 July 2026. According to the report, LPG imports climbed to an average of 1.5 kilotonnes per day (KT/d), up sharply from 0.1 KT/d in May, as marketers moved to close a widening gap between local production and household demand.

The regulator’s data shows that Nigeria’s daily LPG consumption rose by 24 per cent in June, reaching 5.1 kilotonnes per day, compared with 4.1 kilotonnes per day the previous month. Of that total, domestic production supplied 3.6 kilotonnes per day, while imports made up the remaining 1.5 kilotonnes per day. Domestic LPG output fell by 10 per cent during the same period, a decline the NMDPRA linked directly to the need for higher imports.

On the petrol side, the report shows a different pattern. Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) receipts from domestic refineries dropped by 22 per cent in June, falling to 32.5 million litres per day from 41.5 million litres per day in May. To offset the shortfall, petrol imports surged by 207 per cent, rising to 18.1 million litres per day from 5.9 million litres per day in May. The NMDPRA said this pushed total PMS receipts up by seven per cent, from 47.4 million litres per day in May to 50.6 million litres per day in June, despite the decline in local supply.

The regulator did not immediately explain the exact cause of the drop in local refining output, though industry sources say the decline followed operational adjustments and shifting feedstock dynamics at local facilities, including the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery.

The rise in cooking gas imports has already begun to affect prices at the retail level. Market checks show wholesale LPG prices dropping to as low as ₦1,100 per kilogramme, down from an average of ₦1,500 per kilogramme recorded just days earlier. At the height of the recent supply crisis, prices in some locations had climbed close to ₦2,200 per kilogramme, placing significant pressure on households and small businesses that rely on cooking gas daily.

Despite the drop, the NMDPRA noted that many consumers are still paying above its indicative pricing benchmarks in some regions, with retail cooking gas selling as high as ₦2,100 per kilogramme in parts of the country against official guide prices below ₦1,200 per kilogramme.

Industry analysts say the sharp rise in imports has provided short-term relief for households, but caution that lasting stability will depend on expanding domestic production capacity, improving storage infrastructure, and ensuring consistent foreign exchange access for importers.

The NMDPRA said it is working with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and other industry stakeholders to further boost local LPG availability, while continuing to monitor pricing to prevent profiteering by marketers.