By Ayomide Otitoju
The average cost of cooking gas in Nigeria rose significantly in March 2026, with a 5kg cylinder selling for ₦7,655.73 and a 12.5kg cylinder climbing to ₦19,652.83, according to the latest Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Price Watch released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report shows that the price of refilling a 5kg cylinder increased by 12.60 per cent month-on-month from ₦6,799.18 in February to ₦7,655.73 in March. On a year-on-year basis, the price rose by 4.55 per cent from ₦7,322.49 recorded in March 2025.
State-by-state analysis indicated that Kaduna State recorded the highest average price for 5kg refills at ₦9,212.21, followed by Lagos State at ₦8,909.73 and Taraba State at ₦8,802.78. The lowest prices were observed in Bauchi State at ₦6,295.40, Osun State at ₦6,457.35, and Ondo State at ₦6,598.10.
On a regional basis, the North-West recorded the highest average refill price at ₦8,137.81, followed by the North-East at ₦7,890.53, while the South-South posted the lowest at ₦7,300.95.
For 12.5kg cylinders, prices rose by 15.62 per cent month-on-month from ₦16,997.94 in February to ₦19,652.83 in March. Year-on-year, the price increased by 6.48 per cent from ₦18,456.24.
Nasarawa State recorded the highest average price for 12.5kg refills at ₦23,418.12, followed by Kaduna State at ₦23,030.52 and Akwa Ibom State at ₦22,816.74. The lowest prices were recorded in Bauchi State at ₦15,738.50, Osun State at ₦16,143.38, and Ondo State at ₦16,495.25. Regionally, the North-West posted the highest average price at ₦20,701.66, while the South-East recorded the lowest at ₦18,432.63.
The surge in cooking gas prices comes amid heightened global economic uncertainty, driven by geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East. Concerns over instability around the
