Nigeria’s Gas Wealth Must Translate to Better Lives for Citizens, Says Minister
...As FG Launches LPG Cylinder Distribution Programme in Bayelsa
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has said that Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources must translate into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens, stressing that access to clean cooking energy is essential to improving public health, protecting the environment, and driving economic growth.
Ekpo stated this on Tuesday while delivering his remarks at the launch of the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme in Bayelsa State, where the Federal Government officially commenced the state-level rollout of its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder distribution initiative.
He described the event as a landmark in Nigeria’s journey towards expanding access to clean cooking energy, noting that Bayelsa had made history as the first state to host the nationwide state-level LPG cylinder distribution programme.
The Minister explained that the initiative is designed to ensure that the country’s abundant gas resources deliver direct benefits to ordinary Nigerians through cleaner, safer, and more affordable cooking energy.
“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, prosperity, and improved well-being for our people,” he said.
He noted that no child should be exposed to harmful smoke from firewood because clean energy is inaccessible, emphasising that no family should have to spend hours searching for firewood when Nigeria possesses enormous gas reserves capable of powering healthier and more dignified lives.
Ekpo affirmed that the state-level rollout builds on the Federal Government’s earlier zonal pilot programme implemented across the six geopolitical zones, saying the pilot provided valuable lessons and strengthened stakeholders’ collaboration.
“With Bayelsa State as the starting point, we are now moving from regional implementation to broader state-by-state deployment designed to reach households more directly and more effectively.”
He added that the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by expanding energy access, promoting environmental sustainability, empowering households economically, and improving the quality of life of Nigerians.
The Minister stated that Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of over 215 trillion cubic feet place the country among the world’s most gas-endowed nations, stressing that the responsibility of government is to convert that natural wealth into tangible benefits for citizens.
According to him, the initiative also supports the Decade of Gas programme by encouraging greater domestic utilisation of natural gas to strengthen energy security, industrialisation, food security, and shared economic prosperity.
Ekpo explained that distributing LPG cylinders to households would reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, improve public health, and contribute significantly to environmental protection by reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Beyond its environmental benefits, he pointed out that the programme would stimulate investment across the LPG value chain, creating opportunities in cylinder manufacturing, storage infrastructure, transportation, retail distribution, equipment maintenance, and other related services.
He commended the Bayelsa State Government for partnering with the Federal Government to make the initiative a reality, describing the collaboration as a demonstration of what could be achieved when both tiers of government work towards a common national objective.
Addressing concerns about the sustainability of the programme, Ekpo disclosed that the Federal Government plans to cover about 27,000 households in Bayelsa under the initiative and refill the distributed LPG cylinders six times before the state government fully takes over the programme.
He declared that the cylinders are digitally coded to ensure beneficiaries can conveniently refill them at designated centres across the state’s local government areas.
The Minister also assured Nigerians that the Federal Government remains committed to making cooking gas more affordable by engaging producers to prioritise domestic supply over exports.
Recalling a period when LPG prices surged significantly, Ekpo stated that the government intervened by engaging industry operators to ensure that Nigerians benefited from the country’s gas resources.
“We are serving Nigerians, not foreigners. We will continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that the price of gas continues to come down and remains affordable for our people,” he assured.
He urged stakeholders to sustain the momentum of the clean cooking initiative, expressing optimism that the programme would expand across the country and improve the lives of millions of Nigerian households.
“This is more than a distribution programme. It is a promise of a better future for Nigeria. We shall carry that promise forward until clean cooking becomes a reality for all,” the Minister added.
