President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has announced plans to slash the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, warning that his company may begin direct sales to consumers if distributors fail to lower prices.

Speaking during a tour of the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Dangote described the current LPG price, ranging between N1,000 and N1,300 per kilogramme, as unaffordable, especially for ordinary Nigerians who rely on firewood. He revealed that the refinery now produces up to 22,000 tonnes of LPG daily, with about 2,000 tonnes already being processed each day for the local market.

“If the distributors are not bringing down the price, we’ll go directly and sell to consumers,” he said, adding that the goal is to help Nigerians transition from firewood and kerosene to cleaner cooking energy.

However, operators in the LPG sector have raised concerns, accusing Dangote of attempting to monopolise the market. They fear his direct-to-consumer model could edge out existing players.

The move comes ahead of plans to begin the direct distribution of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel in August, supported by 4,000 CNG-powered buses already acquired for the logistics.