Nigeria’s cooking gas imports rose by 1,400 per cent in June 2026 as domestic supply weakened, increasing the country’s dependence on imported Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) despite its vast natural gas reserves.

Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed imports climbed from 0.1 kilotonnes per day (KT/D) in May to 1.5 KT/D in June, while local LPG supply declined by 10 per cent from 4.0 KT/D to 3.6 KT/D.

The increase in imported volumes pushed total LPG supply up by 24 per cent to 5.1 KT/D in June, with imports accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the country’s total daily supply.

According to the regulator, the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) and SEPNU remained the largest domestic suppliers, delivering 2.335 KT/D, while other gas processing plants supplied 0.805 KT/D and local refineries contributed 0.485 KT/D.

The figures indicate that June’s improvement in LPG availability was driven largely by imports rather than increased domestic production.

The development comes despite the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative, which aims to expand local gas production and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.

The NMDPRA also reported a slight increase in overall domestic gas supply, which rose by three per cent from 4.984 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bscf/d) in May to 5.116 Bscf/d in June.

Meanwhile, data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed Nigeria flared about 301.6 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas between January 2025 and June 2026, with the estimated value of the wasted gas put at $888.2 million.

The NUPRC data further revealed that the country exported more gas than it supplied to the domestic market during the 18-month period, with 1.506 trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) exported compared to 1.162 TSCF supplied locally, raising concerns over domestic gas availability for power generation and industrial use.