Each Nigerian household spends N10,240 monthly on cooking gas – NBS

A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has stated households in Nigeria spend an average N10,239.7 on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) monthly.

The report titled Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey (NREDSS), 2024, added that 19.4 per cent of households reported using LPG during the reference period as their source of cooking.

“This means that about one in every five households uses LPG,” the report said.

The report added that about 41 per cent of households reported purchasing fuelwood, closely followed by cutting/collection (39.0 per cent), and only 18.9 per cent of households used other means such as barter, gift, borrowing etc.

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It added that more than half of the fuelwood cut/collected by households, 55.3 per cent, were branches, stems and trees.

“An estimated 67.8 per cent of households used the fuelwood either for domestic, agricultural, commercial, cultural, or religious purposes. The survey also found that one in every five households (22.0 per cent) used charcoal during the reference period.

“Among households using charcoal, 21.6 per cent purchased the product, and only 0.3 and 0.6 per cent acquired it through their own production, and other means respectively.” 

Speaking during the launch of the report yesterday in Abuja, the Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of NBS, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said the survey, which is a pilot, was conducted in nine states to get data on energy use in Nigeria.

He said the report showed over 58 per cent of households are connected to the national grid across the nine states surveyed and 86.6 per cent had electricity supply during the reference period.

“Out of the total households connected to the national grid, 85.2 per cent used an estimated billing system while 14.8 per cent reported using a pre-paid billing system.

“In addition, the average monthly expenditure of households on electricity was estimated at N4,155.8 during the reference period,” he said.

He added that the exercise is coming at this critical period in Nigeria, when energy demand, usage and pricing have all been major topics of discussion in recent years.

He added that access to reliable and affordable energy is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of economic growth.

“The residential sector, which encompasses our homes, informal household businesses, and communities, is a major consumer of energy. Understanding the patterns, trends and challenges within this sector is essential for developing effective policies and strategies to meet the nation’s energy needs.”