FG Kick-starts Free Gas Cylinder Distribution to Promote Clean Cooking

The Federal Government has kick-started an initiative to distribute free gas cylinders as part of its efforts to enhance clean cooking energy across Nigeria.

The initiative, aimed at converting at least one million homes to clean cooking gas by 2030, began with the distribution of 1,000 gas-filled cylinders to women in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja.

This initiative, under the ‘Decade of Gas’ programme tagged LPG grassroots penetration, plans to distribute approximately 250,000 gas cylinders annually to rural communities. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, acknowledged the government’s commitment to increasing domestic gas usage, stating, “We’re on a mission to change millions of Nigerians’ lives in our six geographical zones. By 2030, we aim to convert 250,000 houses a year to clean cooking gas.”

Ekpo stressed the health benefits of switching to gas from traditional fuels like firewood, kerosene, and charcoal, which pose significant health risks to women and girls. Coordinating Director of the ‘Decade of Gas’ programme, Ed Ubong, noted that the initiative, funded by the private sector, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s “Gas to Prosperity, a Renewed Hope” theme. Ubong added, “Cooking gas is cleaner, and Nigeria has significant gas resources. We will partner with the private sector to deploy over a million cylinders, focusing on women in rural areas.”