President Bola Tinubu has commissioned a 40,000-cubic-meter Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), in Ulsan, South Korea, as part of efforts to boost LPG availability and affordability in Nigeria and across Africa.
The vessel, owned by WAGL Energy Limited — a joint venture between NNPC Ltd. and Sahara Group — is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier. With this addition, WAGL’s fleet capacity now stands at 162,000 CBM, comprising MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Speaking at the commissioning on Monday through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, President Tinubu said Nigeria was committed to delivering clean, sustainable energy solutions domestically and regionally. He commended NNPC Ltd. and Sahara Group for their “strategic foresight, technical excellence, and dedication to expanding Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.”
Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Bashir Ojulari, represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, described the new vessel as a significant addition to Nigeria’s gas development drive. He noted that WAGL’s growing fleet has already delivered over six million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa in the last five years.
WAGL’s Chairman and Sahara Group Executive Director, Mr. Temitope Shonubi, said the commissioning of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) reflects the company’s vision to bridge Africa’s critical energy infrastructure gap. “This vessel embodies the spirit of progress and empowerment championed by the iconic Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, whose legacy we honour,” he said.
WAGL’s Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Bello, added that the company plans to further expand its fleet within the next two years with the addition of a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC).
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for MT Iyaloja (Lagos), named in honour of the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji — mother of President Tinubu — was performed by her granddaughter, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Folasade Tinubu-Ojo.
 vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), in Ulsan, South...){kind=link}