The Federal Government, Tuesday, commenced free distribution of gas cylinders to promote clean cooking energy among rural families in Nigeria.
The initiative targets to migrate about one million homes to cooking gas by 2030, being promoted under the ‘Decade of Gas’ initiative, tagged: LPG Grassroots Penetration, is expected to distribute about 250,000 gas cylinders to women in rural communities across the country.
Speaking at the flag-off of the programme in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, reiterated the federal government’s determination to increase domestic gas usage.
Ekpo, who supervised the distribution of 1,000 numbers of 3kg cylinders filled with gas to rural women drawn from the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), explained that the government’s push for the use of gas as the fuel of choice aims to improve the health of women and girls who bear the greatest risk from the use of other traditional cooking fuels.
He said: “We’re not only introducing a programme today; we’re 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 programme is evidence of our steadfast dedication to lessening the over-reliance on solid fuels, which for a long time served as many households’ primary source of energy and include firewood, kerosene, and charcoal.”
Also speaking, the Coordinating Director, ‘Decade of Gas’, Ed Ubong, said the programme which is funded by the private sector, would bring an end to the use of firewood and kerosene in the homes, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s theme: “Gas to Prosperity, a Renewed Hope”.
He stated: “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.
By 2030, we want to convert 250,000 houses a year to clean cooking gas, which is a lofty but attainable target.
