The minister of state Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo has flagged off the Decade of Gas Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme urging stakeholders in the gas sector to work towards achieving the federal government’s goal of having inexpensive, safe, and clean cooking energy available to every household in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Ekpo said the mission of the scheme was to change millions of Nigerians’ lives by converting 250,000 houses annually to LPG use by 2030
He said the outreach was a proof of President Bola Tinubu’s steadfast dedication to lessening the suffering of Nigerians from using firewood, kerosene and charcoal as cooking fuel for homes, to a cleaner and safer energy source – gas.
“The goal of this effort is to improve women’s inclusion and provide employment opportunities for our youth. Transitioning to clean cooking will be especially beneficial for women, who are disproportionately affected by the health hazards of traditional cooking methods,” he added.
Also speaking, minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye thanked President Bola Tinubu and Ekpo for the cooking gas distribution initiative saying women are the worst affected from the hazards of the use of charcoal and firewoods as cooking fuel.
“This programme is just the beginning of the things that President Tinubu and the Gas Minister have promised to do to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian women, and we are happy and very proud of them,” she said
Minister of Youths, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim in her speech described the event as a ground breaking initiative that will impact millions of Nigerians who use firewood, charcoal and kerosene for cooking.
The minister said there were lots of job creation opportunities along the LPG value chain and expressed delight with the Gas to Prosperity programme of the federal government.
Permanent secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nicholas Agbo-Ella, said the commencement of the programme was of great significance in ongoing efforts to transition from the use of firewood and kerosene stoves as cooking fuel for homes to the use of LPG.
He said the challenges in this transition, though enormous, are not insurmountable if all stakeholders were committed to the cause.
Coordinating director, Decade of Gas, Ed Ubong, thanked the Gas Minister for the support in kick-starting the programme in Abuja.
He said the target was to empower as many Nigerian women and youths to use cooking gas in their homes.
“If we all work together, we will be able to banish the use of firewood and kerosene from our homes,” he said.
Beneficiaries commended the federal government for considering women and youths in their gas penetration programme.
The free LPG cylinder distribution scheme is to continue in different states in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
