NNPCL Attributes Cooking Gas Scarcity And Price Surge To PENGASSAN Strike

NNPCL Attributes Cooking Gas Scarcity And Price Surge To PENGASSAN Strike

Nigeria’s recent spike in cooking gas prices and widespread scarcity has been linked to the temporary industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). According to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, the strike disrupted operations for several days, resulting in what he described as an “artificial increase” in gas prices.

Speaking to State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, Ojulari explained that the halt in gas loading and transportation during the strike created a temporary supply gap across major cities.

“The increase you saw was relatively artificial because for the period of the strike, movements and loading were delayed by about two to three days,” he said. “As things return to normal, it takes some time for distribution to be fully restored.”

Ojulari also noted that some retailers exploited the shortfall to inflate prices.

“As you know, in Nigeria, people take opportunity. With that delay, some of the people who had existing resources and reserves had to put up the price,” he added.

Despite the disruption, the NNPCL boss assured Nigerians that prices would stabilise in the coming weeks as supply chains resume normal operations.

“My expectation is that now that things are back to normal, prices should return to what they were before the strike,” he said.

The strike, which began after PENGASSAN protested the sacking of Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery, caused noticeable supply shortages across the country. In Lagos, residents reported paying between ₦2,500 and ₦3,000 per kilogram of cooking gas, while several gas plants and filling stations temporarily ran out of stock. Street vendors were among the few still selling, often at inflated prices.

Although PENGASSAN suspended the strike on October 1 following the intervention of the Federal Government, its effects lingered across the LPG market, especially in urban centers with high consumption rates.

The brief industrial dispute underscores the fragility of Nigeria’s energy supply chain, where even short-term disruptions can cause significant price fluctuations. With the LPG market already strained by rising operational costs and limited domestic supply, such incidents highlight the need for better coordination and contingency planning between regulators, unions, and private operators.

As supply stabilises, stakeholders hope that lessons from this episode will push for greater transparency, improved logistics, and stronger policy coordination to prevent future disruptions in the cooking gas market.

• Lpg
• pengassan
• dangote
• nigeria
• gas prices
• nnpcl