By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Federal Government has begun the distribution of free gas cylinders with a target of moving at least one million Nigerian homes to clean cooking energy by 2030.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, while speaking at the flag-off of the programme in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja, said that the administration was determined to increase domestic gas usage.
The programme, which is under the ‘Decade of Gas’ initiative, tagged “Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) grassroots penetration,” is expected to distribute about 250,000 gas cylinders to women in rural communities across the country.
According to the Minister, it is impossible to overestimate the negative consequences of utilizing conventional fuels as their contribution to deforestation, environmental degradation, and harmful health impacts from indoor air pollution is substantial and in order to ensure a cleaner environment, enhance public health, and promote sustainable development, the usage and adoption of LPG is encouraged.
In Ekpo’s words, “we are not only introducing a program today, we are on a mission to change millions of Nigerians’ lives in our six geographical zones. By 2030, we want to convert 250,000 houses a year to clean cooking gas, which is a lofty but attainable target. This program is evidence of our steadfast dedication to lessening the over-reliance on solid fuels, which for a long time served as many households’ primary sources of energy and include firewood, kerosene, and charcoal.”
The Coordinating Director of the ‘Decade of Gas’ program, Mr. Ed Ubong, on his part, explained that the programme, which is funded by the private sector, would bring an end to the use of woods and kerosene in homes.
He noted that the initiative’s major purpose was to empower women and youths, adding that the program is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s theme: “Gas to Prosperity, a Renewed Hope”.
“As part of the LPG grassroots programme, we would be committed to see how we can move over a million cooking cylinders, mainly to women, in rural areas.Cooking gas is cleaner and Nigeria has significant gas resources and so we will be partnering with the private sector working under the supervision of the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas) to see how we can deploy over a million cylinders at about 250,000 a year to all parts of Nigeria.”
