The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cooking Gas

  • Cooking gas price hits N4, 500

    The price of the 12.5kg cylinder of domestic cooking fuel, Liquidied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has increased from N3,500 to N4,500 in Lagos and other parts of the country.

    This is about  a 30 per cent increase in the price of the product.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Association of Liquified Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr Bassey Essien, said the price increase was caused by shortage of the product. He said the situation will change when more vessels bring the product to the state.

    A retailer at Ikorodu, Mr Ben Nwabueze, agreed no less with Mr Essien. He said  the price increase was a local problem which would phase out as more plants restocked.

    “Yearly, because of the heavy cooking that takes place during Christmas period, there is usually high demand for gas.

    “We try to ration it and sometimes increase price a little because we cannot restock till after the break when loading starts at the depot. More so, it will still take some days before the product circulates, thereby forcing reduction in the price,” he said.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some domestic gas users said they were irked by the sudden price increase which they said was arbitrary and thoughtless.

    Mrs Rebecca Aleshinloye, a resident in Surulere, complained that gas sellers annually exploit users by increasing price of the product during festive periods.

    “I filled my cylinder with gas at N3, 500 in December, but surprisingly I was told the price has been changed to N4, 500.

    “In annoyance, I went to a gas plant inside a filling station, thinking that it would be cheaper, but was told it was N5, 000.

    “I had no choice but to go back to the first gas plant to fill my cylinder. This practice of gas sellers is highly unfair to users considering the economic situation in the country.

    “I appeal to the relevant regulatory agencies to halt this practice by monitoring and checking the excesses of the sellers,” she said.

    Mrs Jennifer Eluko, a resident of Abule Egba, said  cooking gas price rose on December 24 at most of the sale points in the area.

    “I usually fill two cylinders ahead of the festive period because I know that sellers would sometimes create artificial scarcity and inflate the price,” Eluko said.

  • ‘Why cooking gas price is high in Bonny’

    The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also called cooking gas, is high in Bonny, Rivers State, despite hosting the headquarters of the Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited.

    The Nation learnt that infrastructural bottlenecks and   geographical terrains of Bonny are affecting the supply of the product to the town.

    It was  further gathered that LPG suppliers could not bring the product to Bonny because of its water-locked nature.

    A member of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), who pleaded anonymity, said the price of cooking gas in Rivers State was higher than in Lagos, because the cost of transporting it to the area is high.

    The General Manager, External Affairs, NLNG, Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke said: “Bonny is an Island, the community is surrounded by water and this means accessibility to the community is by water and not road. So, the suppliers of cooking gas need to pay more to supply the product. Of course, they would factor the cost of transportation on the product they are selling to the residents. That is why I said that the cost of LPG is likely going to be higher in Bonny than Lagos.”

    According to him, NLNG supplies Lagos with LPG, and not Bonny, adding that smaller suppliers take the product to Bonny. He said there was no terminal in Port Harcourt and, as a result, LPG could not be discharged in Port Harcourt.

    “People buy LPG in Port Harcourt, from there they move it to wherever they are going to sell it. In the case of Bonny, the movement of LPG is done through the coast, a development that adds to the cost of transportation,” he added.

  • NLNG moves to ease cooking gas supply

    NLNG moves to ease cooking gas supply

    To make the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or cooking gas easy, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) and the international auditing firm, KPMG have carried out studies to find out what makes supply of the commodity cumbersome in the country, The Nation has learnt.

    NLNG’s immediate past Managing Director, and Vice President, Safety and Environment (S&E), Shell Upstream International Leadership Team, Babs Omotowa, told The Nation that the studies have been completed and that the gas company was working with the government to remove all bottlenecks to make the commodity readily available in the country.

    Omotowa said the Nigeria LNG carried out study on the issue and hired KPMG last year to carry out its own study, adding that the auditing firm has submitted its findings, which are currently being worked on.

    He said: “At NLNG, we have carried out a study, we also appointed KPMG late last year to carry out a study on what needs to be done to unblock all of these challenges and they have submitted their report. We have also engaged with the Vice President’s Office and we are working with the VP’s office around how the government will take the lead on unblocking all these issues and the private sector will also make an investment.”

    The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) had accused a cabal that hijacked the LPG business in Nigeria for being responsible for the problems in the LPG subsector.

    LPGAR National Chairman, Mr. Michael Umudu, told The Nation that the LPG business has been hijacked by a cabal. The hijack, according to him, accounted for   the price of the commodity rising from N2.3 million to N4.3 million for 20 tonne, and the cost of filling a 12.5-kilogramme cylinder from N2,500 to N4,000.

    Umudu said: “I am not here to mention names, but we all know that NLNG appointed a selected number of firms to receive and market the product. They should explain to us the factors that brought us to this precarious situation. They (off-takers) should explain to LPG stakeholders, the government and the consumers what happened. We worked together to persuade the government to intervene when the sector was almost dead in 2007.”

    But Omotowa noted that the major problem in LPG supply is infrastructure deficit. “I think the challenge in LPG is one around infrastructure. We need as a country to build more receiving terminals. The only two terminals we have in Lagos are not enough. We have to build more terminals in Port Harcourt and Calabar. We have to invest in transportation of LPG from those terminals into the country either by rail or by trucks. We have to ensure as a country that we have enough distribution centres across the country. So, there is quite a lot of infrastructure work that needs to be done.

    “At NLNG, we are not aware of any cabal, we do not subscribe to any cabal. We supply to any terminal that is available. We are encouraging any person, who is able to invest in any other terminal to invest so that the product can be made available. We are working with the government both the executive and the legislature on actually how to unblock all the challenges across the entire value chain so that LPG is available not just in Lagos, but in Sokoto, Kano and Kaduna so that the issues around deforestation and people chopping trees can reduce and health and environmental concerns of people in those areas can be further improved.”

  • ‘Blame Fed Govt for cooking gas scarcity’

    ‘Blame Fed Govt for cooking gas scarcity’

    Being an oil-producing country, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), known as cooking gas, should always be available in Nigeria. But that is not the case. Many, whether in the urban or rural areas, cook with kerosene and charcoal because of the product’s scarcity. The Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr. Bassey Essiet, blames government’s policy for the problem, AKINOLA AJIBADE met him.

    When did Nigeria join the league of countries using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)?

    Nigerians have been using cooking gas for some time. But we began to give LPG the desired attention in 2007, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2007, Obasanjo directed the Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) to be producing LPG for domestic consumption. The government, in its calculation, believes that LPG export is detrimental to Nigerians, who need the product for domestic and industrial use. Of note is that the period coincided with the time the four state-owned refineries: namely Port Harcourt 1 & 2; Kaduna and Warri refineries were not producing optimally. As a result, the refineries were unable to produce enough kerosene for local use. The development did not only affect kerosene supply negatively, but resulted in more demand for kerosene.  Based on this, our association decided to intensify campaigns on the use of LPG.

    What is the worth of the LPG market?

    It is difficult to say the worth of the LPG market in Nigeria. Putting a figure to its worth means one simply is guessing because it is just like asking for the worth of the crude oil market. Nigeria is the largest producer of oil in Africa. If we are talking about per capita consumption of LPG in Nigeria, it is one kilogramme. This is far lower than the per capita consumption in Morocco. The government is planning to increase per capita consumption from one to three kilogrammes, which translates to 600,000 metric tonnes per annum. A kilogramme of LPG is 200,000 metric tonnes per annum. As at 2014, the country was supplying 250,000 metric tonnes of LPG to the market. Nigeria started with 60,000 metric tonnes per annum and increased it to 150,000 metric tonnes years later. Subsequently, it was increased to 250,000 metric tonnes per annum and the country is targeting 350,000 metric tonnes. But in line with the LPG roadmap developed by the Federal Government with the World Bank, the country is supposed to be at a per capita consumption of 3.75 kilogramme, which is 600,000 metric tonnes per annum. However, we are not there yet. Ideally for the size of Nigeria, which has over 170 million people, the country should be supplying one million metric tonnes of LPG per year to the market. The question is: How are we going to achieve that? It is by creating more awareness.

    Scarcity of LPG is a recurring decimal. What is the cause?

    Several factors are responsible for the scarcity of LPG in Nigeria. First, scarcity started with when multinational oil companies were dominating the country’s LPG market. At a point, the foreign owned firms could not produce enough LPG for the market. The second problem has to do with logistics. There are hitches in the transportation of cooking gas across the country, coupled with challenges facing the terminals designated for the delivery of the product, by the Federal Government. Three terminals were approved for such purpose by the government. Out of this, two terminals were giving priority to discharge white products, such as petrol, kerosene and diesel ahead of LPG. This has resulted in the delay in discharging LPG to consumers. Because of this problem, LPG vessels have to wait for hours or weeks before they discharge their content.

    Who is to blame for the problems in the LPG sub-sector?

    This is not the time to apportion blames. The way the system operates here is quite different from what it is obtainable in other climes. There are activities that are contrary to the law of the land. There are manipulations and sharp practices. What we can only do is to bring to attention the people involved in these activities. We have been doing that. Few weeks ago, our association had a meeting with the hierarchy of Product Pipelines Marketing Company (PPMC) and the problems including scarcity of LPG in sub-sector was discussed, and PPMC promised to look into the problems. Based on the synergy between NALPGAM and PPMC, we invited the Managing Director of PPMC, Mr. Ahmed Farouk, to the commissioning of our NALPGAM‘s secretariat in Lagos, where he said he would be happy to see the country meeting the needs of consumers of cooking gas soon.

    When will the problem be resolved?

    We hope to end the problem of scarcity of cooking gas soon. Stakeholders are meeting to proffer solution to the problems which includes but not limited to terminal congestion, storage, vessels and others. The PPMC has been working on this. The NALPGAM, PPMC and other relevant stakeholders have been meeting on the issue. Also, the Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas has been playing a pivotal role in this regard.

    What is the future of LPG sub-sector like, in view of plethora of problems facing it?

    The future is bright; the problems are going to be resolved soon, and the LPG sub-sector will start on a new note. Presently, innovations that would launch the sub-sector into prominence have started. Operators in oil and gas and allied sectors are working on how to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for automobiles. It is has begun in Nigeria, and with time, many people would be using gas to power their vehicles, and not petrol. This is not new in Europe and other developed economies. But Nigeria is gradually catching on with it. Recently, I was invited to witness a demonstration in Surulere, Lagos, where gas was used to power a generator. That is why I said the future of LPG is great in the country.

    What is the main reason for establishing this body?

    The reasons include the need to create awareness for the usage of LPG in the country; reduce health hazards accompanying the use of stoves, firewood and charcoal; raise the status symbol of people, and further check the monopoly of foreign-owned oil companies that dominate the sub-sector. Prior to 1986, when the body was formed, there was a knowledge gap in the LPG sub-sector. Many do not know what the usage entails, others saw cooking gas as a preserve of the rich or elites. During that period, people were equating the usage of LPG to that of telephone, which was regarded as a status symbol then. Added to this is the fact that only multinational oil companies such as Mobil, Total, among others, were selling LPG in their outlets across the country. People took their gas cylinders to the outlets to refill them, albeit, spending hours on the queue. Many even travelled to Cotonou, Benin Republic, to buy cooking gas. The association was formed to correct these anomalies and further serve as an umbrella for cooking gas marketers.

    Are foreigners behind the monopoly in the sub-sector then?

    Yes, they are. Foreigners, to some extent, created monopoly in the sub-sector. Once there are few years in a market, they tend to dominate it.They create a block, through which, they control activities in that market. However, with the awareness on LPG increasing by the day, the association was able to check the excesses of the foreign oil firms in the sub-sector. Not only this, the body has brought together entrepreneurs in order to have one voice. The efforts have paid off, as the body boasts of 400 members and 400 LPG plants. This means that indigenous marketers are having a considerable influence on the market.

    Are oil marketing firms included in your NALPGAM membership?

    The membership of the association is not by force. We do not compel anybody to be our member. The marketers, either major or independent, are not compelled to become members.

    The association appears not to have control over the marketers in the sub-sector…

    (Cuts in): The fact that NALPGAM is the umbrella body for LPG marketers in the country does not confer on it the right to control or regulate the sub-sector. The power to regulate activities in LPG industry lies with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). DPR is vested with the power to license or approve LPG marketers, once they have met the requirements, which include, but not limited to the ownership of a plant. The entry point to play in the sub- sector is ownership of a plant. Once that has been done, the operator can join the association. The entry is free. This could be likened to what happened in the banking industry years ago, when banks had option to join a union in the industry.

    Do you complain to DPR, whenever you discover untoward practices in the sub-sector?

    We do not report erring marketers to DPR. Even though, the body holds meetings with DPR periodically. The association does not report erring operators to DPR formally. The DPR conducts its monitoring to put the sub-sector in proper perspective. Through this, it discovered bad operators and deal with them appropriately.

    How does the body handle issues on sharp practices?

    The association has a committee, which regulates the conduct of its members. Periodically, the committee’ members go round to ensure compliance. There is a membership sticker, which members are required to put on their plants. Usually, people in the committee check the sticker when they visit plants that are owned by members. Thereafter, they send their feedback to the association. Once, we discover sharp practices, we reach out to the people involved. Aside this DPR monitors marketers with a view of fish out corrupt ones.

    What are the achievements of the body so far?

    Through awareness programmes, the association has helped in increasing the use of LPG, improving the health of Nigerians, by letting them know that it is dangerous to be using kerosene or firewood for cooking. Also, jobs have been created. An LPG plant, on average, employs 10 people. This means that the 400 plants that are identified by the body have created 4,000 jobs. Reduction in erosion and exposure to ozone layer, are some of the successes recorded by the body. People have been educated cutting down of trees because erosion and expose people unduly to ozone layer and have since reduced such activities.

  • How a cabal hijacked cooking gas business

    How a cabal hijacked cooking gas business

    Last month, the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), commonly called cooking gas, went up by almost 30 per cent. What is responsible? A cabal in the LPG sub-sector has hijacked the business, thwarting the objective of the Federal Governmen to make the product affordable. What is the solution to the problem? EMEKA UGWUANYI examines the situation.

    The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) saw it coming. Last June 3, it raised the alarm over the malpractices in the liquefied petroleum subsector, warning that if nothing was done, price rise was imminent.

    Shortly after, the price of cooking gas rose sharply from N2.3 million  to N4.3 million for 20 tonnes. The cost of filling a 12.5-kilogramme cylinder went up from N3,000 to N4,000.

    Investigation by The Nation revealed that off-takers appointed by the Nigeria LNG hijacked the LPG business as they control the shipping and the terminals from which the product is supplied to various sales points in the country.

    After a screening, the NLNG appointed six firms to lift the product to terminals and depots in Lagos for distribution to consumers. The off-takers, which are Le Global, Harig, Linetrade, Chimons, Greenfield, and Hyson, an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), lift 150,000 metric tonnes yearly. However, it was alleged that the off-takers were conniving with terminal owners to hike the price.

    According to sources, this happened because the NLNG and other regulatory bodies failed in their supervisory roles.

    The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) National Chairman, Mr. Michael Umudu, confirmed that the LPG business has been hijacked  by a cabal. But he did not mention names.

    He said: “I am not here to mention names, but we all know that NLNG appointed a selected number of firms to receive and market the product. They should explain to us the factors that brought us to this precarious situation. They (off-takers) should explain to LPG stakeholders, the government and the consumers what happened. We worked together to persuade the government to intervene when the sector was almost dead in 2007. They were appointed to receive and redistribute with the intention of making the product available to other marketers because it is not possible for every marketer to receive directly. Now see what is happening. Our common patrimony has been hijacked by some people who are playing the ostrich.

    “I know what we suffered in the past to rescue this industry and now a few privileged ones are taking advantage of the sector. This has not happened in the industry before. We have never witnessed supply shortage without any known cause. The last major scarcity we had was in 2013 when NLNG had a dispute with NIMASA and the distribution was halted as part of sanctions placed on NLNG by NIMASA. The crisis lasted for weeks, but LPG price was not up to what it is today. There were marginal rise in price in the past, which were caused by rise in price of crude oil.

    “We were able to easily adjust because the effect was minimal. But now no genuine reason has been given, and the price kept going up. We suspect stage-managed supply shortages to be cause. The situation is such that the LPG industry has been pocketed by a few. Some of them did not even participate in the process that led to the relative growth  being witnessed in the sector in recent years.”

    According to him, the alleged cabal does not think about the growth and future of the LPG sub-sector, because “all they think is self, self and only self”.

    “The cabal protects its members interest only. They are organised and cohesive in their dealings,” he added.

    The alleged hijack of the LPG business, it was learnt, started when a private depot was the only depot selling LPG. “The depot kept increasing  the price and everyone was complaining, including some off-takers, mainly Nigerians. The depot was accused of being owned by foreigners, whose interest was not the progress of Nigeria, but to exploit Nigerians. Eventually, another consignment arrived three weeks after in which many indigenous off-takers had allocation. We expected them to sell at normal price or at least bearable price as a show of patriotism, but instead the price continued to go up higher,” a source said.

    According to the source, members of the cabal are so powerful that they presented one-sided data to the NLNG. “They are highly connected. They present themselves as if they represent the common interests of the sector. So, what is happening is that the NLNG is made to believe that there is normalcy in the sector whereas the reverse is the case. It is just unfortunate,” he added.

    On what the members of ALPGAM, NALPGAM and LPGAR are doing to address the problem, Umudu told The Nation that the only organisation that is independent of this cartel is the one he heads and that is LPGAR branch of NUPENG.

    “They are so powerful and parade a lot of cash. Of course, you know what money can do in Nigeria. They do everything to suppress and impoverish gas retailers and their umbrella body – LPGAR. But we don’t mind. We will continue to provide checks and balances in the sector. “We are planning a number of events to tell the whole world what is happening.

    “Apart from publicity, we are planning to petition relevant authorities and if that does not suffice, we move to the next stage which is protest. Our lawyers are already instructed to secure for us necessary police clearance. We are planning to stage some protests to bring this to the notice of some arms of government.

    “We are peace loving people but should not submit to this kind of exploitation. Though the president of Nigeria LP Gas Association, Mr. Dayo Adeshina, told me he is planning a meeting of the stakeholders to address the problem. We are waiting and hope it happens soon.’’

    Umudu said LPG retailers planned to meet with agencies, such as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Products and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC), on the issue. “Meeting the regulatory bodies is part of activities we have planned for next week and beyond. This battle may take longer than one may ordinarily imagine because the powers of the people and organisations involved. I don’t take them for granted at all. They approximate themselves to the whole sector.

    “They often advance the argument that it is a free market. But they don’t realise that even in the Western world where liberalisation originated, you dare not manipulate the system for personal gains,” he said, adding that the monopoly must be broken and the NLNG should get more involved in the process beyond making the product available. They should monitor what happens at the transportation level.

  • Why cooking gas price is high, by NLNG

    Why cooking gas price is high, by NLNG

    Infrastructure bottlenecks and not scarcity are the real reason behind the rising cost of cooking gas or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) nationwide, the General Manager, External Relations, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke has said.

    Eresia-Eke in a telephone interview with The Nation said three factors namely; shortage of terminals for the discharge of LPG in the country, storage facilities at the terminals and delays in getting the product from the terminals, have resulted in increase of price, from N2,700 to between N4,000 and N4,200 for a  12.5 kilogramme (kg) cylinder in Lagos and environs.

    He stated that hitches in areas such as transportation of LPG from the NLNG’s base in Bonny, Rivers State to Lagos and distribution of the product to consumers, is the bane of the sub-sector.

    The issue, he said, made people to conclude that LPG is scarce in the country. “The increase in price of LPG was caused by infrastructure problems, and not scarcity of the product. Only two terminals were dedicated for the supply of LPG in Nigeria. The terminals, which are based in Lagos, are NAFGAS Terminal and the Northern Oil Jetty (NOJ), which is being managed by the Products and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC) on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    “The terminals are not only limited, but were made to give priority to supply of white products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene. This has made it difficult for LPG vessels to discharge its content promptly enough,” Eresia-Eke said.

    Other problems, according to him, are lack of adequate facilities for storage of LPG at the terminals and delays in accessing the product from the terminals.

    He said the decision by the Federal Government, to give the terminals priority to discharge white products first, is affecting supply of LPG. “The idea made LPG vessels to queue for days or weeks, ditto operators that are waiting to collect the product for onward distribution to the consumers,” he added.

    Eresia-Eke noted that NLNG has increased domestic supply of LPG from 150,000 metric tonnes (mt) annually to 250,000 metric tonnes annually in recent times. The issue, he said, attests to the fact that  NLNG has the  capacity to meet LPG consumption requirement in the country.

    He urged stakeholders including the government, to expedite actions on measures that would enable consumers to get the product regularly.

    The National Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), had in May, 2016, raised concerns over what it described as astronomical increase in the price of cooking gas. NALPGAM’s Chairman, Mr. Bassey said the money paid on demurrage and other costs incurred by the operators have increased, thereby making it difficult for them to get the product.

    He said the issue has compelled marketers to increase the price above what they used to sell the product.

  • NUPENG to ensure safe cooking gas use

    The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGARAN), a branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has restated its commitment to safe use of cooking gas.

    Its Chairman, Comrade Chika Michael Umudu made the pledge  after his inauguration in Lagos.

    Thanking members for reelecting him, he said his administration would focus on innovation, adding: “Our administration will bring good things, safety of our members. We shall ensure our members do the business in a manner that will make gas usage safer and encourage more people to embrace gas for their commercial, industrial and domestic needs.”

    His administration, he said, would strive to ensure that the association maintained its standards and ethics in the industry. “As we move into a new era I seek support of all and indeed our executives at various levels,” he added.

    Others elected are Comrade Chijioke Ogboka Deputy Chairman 1; Comrade Mohammed Omede Deputy Chairman 2; Comrade Musa Ibrahim Mekud Vice Chairman; Comrade Monday Nwatu Secretary; Kayode Solomon Asst. Secretary; Comrade Phillips Agbo Treasurer; ComradeTunde Omoarevbokha Trustee; Comrade James Ikhelia Financial Secretary; and Comrade Yeroowo Onosigho Public Relation Officers.

    Others were Comrade Ifeanyi Okoli Product Inspection Officer; Comrade James Adetayo Auditor 1; Comrade Chukwujekwu Okafor Auditor 2; Comrade Uchenna Ofoegbu Chief Whip; Comrade Okwudili Nnamami Asst. Chief Whip; and Comrade David Ariyo Welfare Officer.

  • Lagos distributes cooking gas to 31 local govts

    Lagos State Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy yesterday distributed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Gas Cylinders to 31 councils.

    Flagging off the exercise, the governor’s wife, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, said the exercise would help sustain the government’s campaign on safety and healthy living.

    She said the use of gas cylinder for cooking and other domestic works is safer and faster.

    “The success of this campaign is to stop the use of fire wood as a source of energy for cooking especially in our rural communities, but it is not just our rural communities most of our local eateries use fire wood, let them start to use the gas cylinders, it is faster and safer,” she said.

    She appealed to Lagosians to embrace the use of gas cylinders for all home and eatery.

    Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Taofiq Tijani said the use of the gas cylinders at homes for cooking will guarantee a safer environment.

    “The benefit of the use of gas for cooking include good health and clean environment; the environment will be devoid of smoke like when fire wood or kerosene is use for cooking,” he said.

  • Embrace cooking gas, residents told

    Embrace cooking gas, residents told

    Lagos State Commissioner for Mineral Resources and Energy Taofiq Tijani  has urged residents to embrace the use of cooking gas to curtail health challenges.

    Tijani, represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Iyabode Obasa, spoke during  the ‘Eko Gas’ distribution programm at Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

    The government was desirous of eliminating the dangers posed by the use of kerosene and firewood.

    Tijani said: “We are distributing the gas to Lagosians free of charge, this is to encourage them to embrace the use of gas instead of firewood. The smoke inhaled from firewood and stove has dire health implication.

    “It will equally preserve our green pasture, life would be more secured in terms of healthy living. It is even cheaper and would enhance their economic position. We have designated depots where they can easily fill their cylinders if they exhaust the ones they have,” she said.

    The chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Olamuyiwa Oloro, said the council would add to the number of cylinders received from the state government.

    He said the council would embark on enlightenment campaign to ensure that precautions on the use of cooking gas are adhered to, saying a team has raised for the task.

    Oloro said the programme is aimed at alleviating poverty, adding: “We are sure that it will serve as vehicle through which the people of the council are mobilised.”

    “The importance of this “Eko Gas” distribution shall be to mobilise people of Lagos State to cultivate the use of cooking gas.

     

  • FG to unveil new policy on cooking gas next week

    The Federal Government is to introduce new policy on the usage of cooking gas in the country.

    Mr Joseph Odumodu, the Director General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), made this known to newsmen in an interactive session in Lagos on Thursday.

    According to him, the new policy, which is expected to come into effect as from June this year, will remove problems being encountered by Nigerians in the use of cooking gas.

    “It will also boost the consumption of the product as future fuel by Nigerians,’’ he said.

    He said the council of SON would unveil the details of the new policy in Abuja next week.

    According to him, under the new system, individuals will no longer own cylinders, rather they will be owned by the firms licensed by the Department of Petroleum Resources DPR.

    He said the new law was designed to hold firms responsible any time there was challenge encountered by the end users of the product.

    He explained that the new policy, apart from banning individuals from owning cylinders, would also affect all the vital chains in the distribution of cooking gas.

    According to him, only the licensed dealers would be allowed to market and distribute the volatile product.

    “The unveiling of the act will determine its application by Nigerians. We have gone through the technical committee on the use on the best type of gas in the country.

    “On April 8, the National Council of SON will approve the policy and it will be made public, ‘’ he said.

    Speaking on the influx of substandard cylinders in the country, he said that SON was not at the seaports.

    He said that SON depended on information given to it by patriotic Nigerians who noticed any time such contraband were imported.

    Odumodu said that the policy, when operational, would revive shut down cylinder firms to creat more jobs in the country.

    He said that under the new policy, consumers would be allowed to enjoy flexibility in switching from one supplier to another without hitches.

    He said that obsolete cylinders were expected to be removed from the system within a period of six months.