Economy
Sanwo-Olu Slams FG for High Cost of Cooking Gas
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
**Moves to Ramp up Supply, Crash Price
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has slammed the federal government for being behind the high cost of cooking gas in the country.
Speaking on Thursday at the commissioning of a 40 metric tons Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refill plant in the Ikorodu area of the state, he attributed the rising price of gas to the introduction of 7.5 per cent VAT and foreign exchange (FX) crisis, a statement posted on the Facebook page of the state government disclosed.
According to him, these issues caused the spike in the price of the product, saying this was “unacceptable” in the face of the high cost of living.
However, he assured that this may soon be a thing of the past as his administration has taken a huge step to ramp up supply and make the product available to residents at cheaper rates.
The new plant in Ikorodu is operated by the state-owned energy firm, Ibile Oil and Gas Corporation (IOGC), and it is the fourth delivered by the corporation. Three other refill plants of varying capacities were built in the Amuwo Odofin, Alimosho and Iponri areas of the state.
The Governor disclosed that his administration decided to establish the plants to cut down the use of dirty fuels responsible for carbon emission and air pollution.
According to him, the energy project was initiated to key into the nation’s ambitious goal to develop the natural gas industry and encourage domestic use of safe cooking gas.
In Lagos, less than 30 per cent of households use gas for cooking. As an alternative to kerosene and charcoal, LPG is a clean-burning fuel that supports smoke-free indoor and outdoor cooking.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the inclusion of gas into the state’s energy mix was critical to the continuous prosperity of Lagos, stressing that the project would not only transform the State into a gas economy and stimulate commercial growth but also enhance the quality of life by reducing carbon footprint in the environment.
The target, the Governor said, is to increase the supply of cooking gas in local communities, thereby raising domestic LPG usage from the current 25 per cent to about 80 per cent before the end of 2023.
He said: “The gas plant being commissioned today reflects the desire of our administration to align with the global action to reduce carbon emission and address the climate change challenge. One of the measures, which this gas plant will support, is promoting increased adoption of LGP for domestic use in Lagos.
“Our vision is to transit the State into a gas economy and ensure an energy mix that provides different fuelling options for residents with the introduction of Gas-for-Transport and Gas-to-Power projects. Expanding the domestic usage of LPG is critical to the continuous prosperity of Lagos and the attainment of our administration’s desire to transform the State into a 21st-century economy.”
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the increment in LPG price puts the nation at the risk of reversing all gains achieved from awareness of the advantages of using LPG for domestic cooking.
The Governor urged the federal government to reverse the trend in order to make the commodity affordable, while also increasing the availability of safe cooking gas in the country.
He said: “Not only are we excited with our modest intervention by Lagos in the LPG market, but it is also only when we reduce the cost of basic commodities such as cooking gas that the true dividends of democracy can be felt by the people.
“We have done a lot of advocacy for people to appreciate the benefit that comes with the use of gas for domestic cooking, such as reduction in carbon footprint, and improved quality of life. If we have made this great effort, the least the government can do is not to make the commodity unaffordable for the populace.”
The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Olalere Odusote, said the plant was built with the highest safety standards, noting that the siting of the facility was deliberate to serve a large number of the populace.
He said the state had the plan to expand the gas facility to 20 units which would be spread across all divisions.
Managing Director of IOGC, Ms Doyin Akinyanju, said the gas plants developed by the corporation had the capacity to supply 20,000 homes within the radius of operation, adding that jobs were created for young people in the supply chain through the use of purpose-built vehicles for door-to-door delivery in neighbourhoods.
She said: “Nigeria has an abundant gas deposit that needs to be rapidly developed. Lagos also is blessed with two known offshore fields – Aje and Ogo – in Badagry with large gas deposits. IOGC is taking steps to develop a bulk offtake facility that will ensure gas security in Lagos, as well as provide a competitive pricing advantage.
“We will continue our sensitisation and awareness campaign in the neighbourhoods where we are located to take Lagosians away from the use of dirty fuels like firewood, charcoal, kerosene to Gas for cooking. Today, we start a new journey with cooking gas by creating a market that will make it safely accessible.”
By Dipo Olowookere
About $197.71 million has been injected into the foreign exchange (FX) market by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost liquidity.
This intervention by the apex bank is expected to strengthen the Naira in the different segments of the forex market after coming under pressure in the past few days as a result of the new import tariffs imposed on countries, including Nigeria, by the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump.
Business Post reports that on Friday, the Naira depreciated against the United States Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by 1.45 per cent or N22.49 to settle at N1,573.23/$1 versus Thursday’s exchange rate of N1,550.74/$1, and in the parallel market, it lost N10 to sell for N1,570/$1 compared with the N1,560/$1 it was transacted a day earlier.
To ease the pressure on the domestic currency, the central bank sold fresh $197.71 million to authorised FX traders between Thursday and Friday.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has noted recent movements in the foreign exchange market between April 3 and 4, 2025, reflecting broader global macroeconomic shifts currently affecting several emerging markets and developing economies.
“These developments were as a result of the recent announcement of new import tariffs by the United States government on imports from several economies, which has triggered a period of adjustment across global markets.
“Crude oil prices have also weakened – declining by over 12% to approximately $65.50 per barrel – presenting new dynamics for oil-exporting countries such as Nigeria.
“In line with its commitment to ensuring adequate liquidity and supporting orderly market functioning, the CBN facilitated market activity on Friday, April 4, 2025, with the provision of $197.71 million through sales to authorised dealers.
“This measured step aligns with the Bank’s broader objective of fostering a stable, transparent, and efficient foreign exchange market.
“The CBN continues to monitor global and domestic market conditions and remains confident in the resilience of Nigeria’s foreign exchange framework, which is designed to adjust appropriately to evolving fundamentals.
“All authorised dealers are reminded to adhere strictly to the principles outlined in the Nigeria FX Market Code and to uphold the highest standards in their dealings with clients and market counterparties,” a notice from the Director of Financial Markets Department at the CBN, Ms Omolara Omotunde Duke, said.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has revealed that the total public debt stock of Nigeria increased by 48.58 per cent or N47.32 trillion to N144.67 trillion ($94.23 billion) as of December 31, 2024, from N97.34 trillion ($108.23 billion) in the preceding year.
In a report released on Friday, the agency disclosed that the rise in the domestic and foreign debts was due to the borrowing of funds by the government in the period under review.
Business Post reports that external debt of the total debt accounted for 48.59 per cent at N70.29 trillion ($45.78 billion), while the domestic component was 51.41 per cent at N74.38 trillion ($48.45 billion).
A breakdown showed that for the total foreign borrowings, the federal government accounted for 43.49 per cent at N62.92 trillion ($40.98 billion), while the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounted for 5.10 per cent at N7.37 trillion ($4.80 billion).
As for the domestic debt, the federal government contributed 48.67 per cent at (N70.41 trillion ($45.86 billion) and the states and the FCT contributed 2.74 per cent at N3.97 trillion ($2.59 billion).
Analysis showed that in 2023, the external debt was N38.22 trillion ($42.50 billion) before rising in one year by 83.89 per cent to N70.29 trillion ($45.78 billion) in December 2024, while the local debt stood at N59.12 trillion ($65.73 billion) as of December 2023 before jumping by 25.77 per cent in 12 months to N74.38 trillion ($48.44 billion).
Since the current administration of Mr Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, it has sourced funds from local and external sources through treasury bills, Naira-denominated and Dollar-denominated bonds to finance its budget deficits.
However, much has been done to cut down Nigeria’s revenue-to-debt service ratio to 65 per cent from 97 per cent, according to Mr Tinubu in November 2024.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited ended Friday’s trading session lower with a marginal decline of 0.01 per cent as a result of continued market volatility.
Customs Street was down during the last trading session of the week despite bargain-hunting activities in the banking and industrial goods sectors, which closed higher by 0.51 per cent and 0.01 per cent, respectively.
Business Post reports that profit-taking in the other sectors contributed to the downfall of the local bourse yesterday, with the insurance index weakening by 3.21 per cent.
Further, the energy counter went down by 0.50 per cent, and the consumer goods space depreciated by 0.24 per cent, while the commodity industry closed flat.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) shrank by 13.37 points to 105,511.89 points from 105,525.26 points and the market capitalisation declined by N8 billion to settle at N66.147 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N66.155 trillion.
A total of 348.3 million shares worth N8.1 billion exchanged hands in 11,444 deals on Friday compared with the 397.1 million shares valued at N8.7 billion traded in 13,667 deals a day earlier, implying a drop in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 12.29 per cent, 6.90 per cent, and 16.27 per cent, respectively.
The activity log was led by UBA with the sale of 26.3 million stocks for N972.3 million, United Capital traded 25.6 million shares valued at N391.5 million, FCMB exchanged 24.2 million equities worth N211.2 million, Zenith Bank transacted 22.9 million shares valued at N1.1 billion, and Fidelity Bank traded 22.6 million stocks worth N441.7 million.
Investor sentiment remained bearish yesterday after the NGX finished with 19 price gainers and 29 price losers, showing a negative market breadth index.
Lasaco Assurance and AXA Mansard were the worst-performing equities with a decline of 10.00 per cent each to sell for N2.34, and N8.64 apiece, May and Baker decreased by 8.72 per cent to N7.85, Guinea Insurance crashed by 8.70 per cent to 63 Kobo, and FTN Cocoa lost 6.43 per cent to end at N1.60.
However, Learn Africa and Livestock Feeds closed as the best-performing stocks after they gained 10.00 per cent each to quote at N3.30, and N7.92, respectively, VFD Group soared by 9.83 per cent to N57.00, Union Dicon expanded by 9.43 per cent to N5.80, and NGX Group rose by 8.17 per cent to N32.45.
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