In a move to deepen cleaner energy use in the country, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, in collaboration with the Decade of Gas Initiative on Monday flagged off the distribution of free cooking gas cylinders to about 300 women in Lagos State.
Speaking at the event held in Ikeja, Ekpo maintained that the distribution of cylinders is part of the government’s initiative to give 1 million homes access to clean cooking by the year 2030.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu approved the initiative because he cares about the health of his people.
He encouraged the women to move from cooking with firewood, kerosene, and charcoal to LPG, saying it is clean, safe and good for the environment.
Ekpo warned the women not to sell the cylinder, saying gas would be available for them at a cheaper rate.
“Don’t worry about what is going on today, we are working with the sectors that are related to this to make sure we bring down the price. We plead with you to be patient, work with the government and the government will work for you for a better tomorrow,” he emphasised.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the cylinders and stop cooking with firewood.
Akume, who was represented by one of his aides, Professor Babatunde Bolaji, said the use of firewood entails the cutting of trees while the fume from the fire leads to health hazards, including miscarriage.
The SGF also assured that the price of cooking gas would drop because the Federal Government is currently putting an end to gas flaring, saying this would give the country more gas.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President of Sustainable Development Goals, Orelope Adefulure, assured the Lagos women that the SDG would partner with the Decade of Gas Initiative to distribute more cylinders across the local government areas in Lagos State.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who was represented by the lawmaker representing Gaya, Ajingi, and Albasu Federal Constituency, Ghali Mustapha, commended the initiative, saying the previous administration failed to distribute gas cylinders to encourage clean cooking.
The Coordinator of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Mr Ed Ubong, said 250,000 cylinders would be distributed yearly till 2030.
According to him, the Monday event in Lagos marked the flag-off of the LPG penetration programme in the South-West, saying the team would move to Akwa-Ibom on Tuesday.
The event also witnessed the training of the beneficiaries on the efficient use of the cooking gas cylinders.
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