FG Launches LPG Scheme in Bayelsa, Targets 27,000 Households,Grassroots Penetration

Bayelsa state has become the first beneficiary of the federal government’s state level liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder distribution programme with the minister of state for petroleum resources (Gas), Dr.
Ekperikpe Ekpo, describing the initiative as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s drive towards clean energy adoption.

Speaking on tuesday at the launch of the Decade of Gas: national grassroots LPG penetration programme held at the banquet hall of the government house, Yenagoa, Ekpo said the initiative was designed to make clean cooking energy more accessible to households reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, improve public health protect the environment and create economic opportunities across the LPG value chain.

“He noted that the programme aligns with president Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and disclosed that no fewer than 27,000 residents of Bayelsa would benefit from the first phase of the scheme.”

At the heart of this programme lies a simple but powerful conviction: that the promise of Nigeria’s abundant natural gas must translate into dignity, safety, and improved wellbeing for our people.

“No mother should be compelled to choose between feeding her family and protecting her health. No child should inhale harmful smoke because cleaner energy remains beyond reach.

“No family should spend valuable hours searching for firewood when our nation is richly endowed with gas resources capable of powering safer and more dignified lives.

“The minister assured beneficiaries that LPG refill centres would be established closer to communities to ensure easy access to cooking gas, and federal government will refiled for six times, for the individual to continue on their own while reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to making LPG affordable for ordinary Nigerians.”

Earlier, the coordinating director of the decade of gas Initiative, Mr. Ed Ubong, said the federal government plans to transition five million Nigerian households from firewood and other traditional cooking fuels to LPG by 2030.

According to him, the programme targets one million households annually and began in Bayelsa because of the state’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s gas industry, noting that it hosts one of africa’s largest gas processing facilities and occupies a significant place in the nation’s oil and gas history.

The authority chief executive NMDPRA Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar , NMDPRA remains committed to deepening the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) across Nigeria as part of the federal government’s Decade of Gas initiative.

Bayelsa’s inclusion in the grassroots LPG penetration programme is a significant step toward expanding access to clean cooking energy in the Niger Delta.

” According to him increased LPG adoption will reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal helping to protect the environment and improve public health,the authority will continue to work with the ministry of petroleum resources (Gas) state governments and industry stakeholders to make LPG more available, affordable and safe for households.”

He urged beneficiaries to use the cylinders safely and become ambassadors of clean cooking gas in their community

Governor Douye Diri commended president Bola Tinubu for introducing the LPG penetration Initiative, describing it as a bold intervention aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians particularly vulnerable households that still rely on firewood for cooking.

He said the initiative would help reduce indiscriminate tree felling, curb deforestation and mitigate the environmental impact associated with the use of firewood and charcoal.

The governor, however, urged the federal government to address what he described as the longstanding injustice in the distribution of revenues generated from the Nigeria liquefied natural gas (NLNG) Company.

“According to Diri, although about 60 per cent of the gas supplied to NLNG is sourced from Bayelsa, the state does not receive personal income tax and other statutory revenues generated from the company’s operations.”

He said about 60 per cent of the gas supplied to NLNG comes from Bayelsa State, yet no tax is paid to the Bayelsa state government all the taxes are paid to other state governments.

The governor appealed to president Tinubu to correct the anomaly and ensure that Bayelsa receives its rightful share of the revenues generated from its abundant gas resources.

It would be recalled that the Decade of Gas Initiative with the backing of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) and other stakeholders is driving Nigeria’s energy transition through its National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme (NGLPP), a flagship programme designed to expand access to clean cooking energy across the country.

The programme aims to help 5 million Nigerian households transition from firewood, charcoal, and other traditional cooking fuels to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)—a cleaner, safer, and more efficient cooking fuel that promotes healthier homes, protects the environment, and improves quality of life by 2030.
Following rollout of the programme across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, the state-by-state phase of the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme has just began in Bayelsa State