Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), says the Federal Government will do everything it can to minimize the rising cost of liquefied petroleum gas, often known as cooking gas.
The minister revealed this on Monday, when the Decade of Gas Initiative announced the distribution of gas cylinders to approximately 300 women in Lagos State.
According to Bizwatch Nigeria, the price of one kilogramme of cooking gas has climbed to N1,300 in some places after dropping to around N1,000 in June and July. According to reports, a 12kg cylinder is currently being refilled for between N16,000 and N17,000, up from N12,000 a few weeks ago.
Speaking about this, Ekpo noted that he would invite the regulators and the gas producers to find ways to bring down the cost.
“I got that information this morning that the price of cooking gas is rising again. So, what I am going to do is I will invite the regulators and the producers and have a meeting with them. We are looking to bring down the price so that it will be affordable,” Ekpo stated.
The gas minister stressed, “The energy security that we are talking about is about affordability and availability. So, we are going to ensure that whatever is the reason behind the hike in price, we will make sure we bring it down.”
Speaking further, 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. At the same time, 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.
The Coordinator of the Decade of Gas secretariat, Mr Ed Ebong, 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 program in the South-West, saying the team would move to Akwa-Ibom on Tuesday.
