Photo caption: FG Decade of Gas Grassroots LPG Drive Gains Momentum with Uyo Launch from Left: Minister of Youth Development Representative- Mrs. Leah Tolulope Akinfiresoye, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo,the executive governor of Akwa Ibom State Pastor Umo Eno, Dr. (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Governor ,Senator Dr. Akon Eyakenyi, Lady Helen Eno Obareki Coordinator, Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State and Co-ordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Mr. Ed Ubong as the Federal Government through the Decade of Gas Initiative flags off the Grassroots LPG Programme (NGLPP) in Akwa Ibom State.
ABUJA — The Federal Government has expanded its clean cooking campaign with the launch of the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme (NGLPP) in Akwa Ibom State, making it the second state to join the nationwide rollout of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) after Bayelsa.
The initiative, being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) in partnership with the Decade of Gas Initiative, is designed to accelerate household access to LPG while supporting Nigeria’s broader transition to cleaner cooking fuels.
The programme is aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s target of reaching 5 million Nigerian households with clean cooking energy by 2030, equivalent to about 1 million households annually.
At the Akwa Ibom launch, the Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Ed Ubong, said the state’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry made it a natural location for the programme.
He noted that Akwa Ibom is a major oil-producing state with substantial natural gas resources, adding that the Federal Government would distribute 27,000 filled LPG cylinders to women across the state.
According to Ubong, the NGLPP will ultimately be implemented across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, creating a nationwide platform for expanding LPG adoption.
New LPG distribution model targets rural communities
The Decade of Gas NGLPP Programme Lead, Ramatu Abdullahi, said the state-by-state rollout introduces a more sustainable Depot-Hub-Node cylinder exchange model aimed at bringing LPG refill points closer to consumers.
Under the model, refill points will be located within 1 to 2 kilometres of target communities, reducing the distance households have to travel to access cooking gas.
Beneficiary households will also receive up to six free LPG refills within one year, while a digital monitoring platform will track cylinders, refills and household adoption.
The initiative is intended to move beyond one-off cylinder distribution by creating an ecosystem that encourages continued LPG consumption and supports the development of local distribution networks.
NMDPRA backs 5 million-tonne LPG consumption target
Representing the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Executive Director of Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure, Francis Alabo Ogaree, commended the Decade of Gas Secretariat for designing the programme around long-term LPG adoption.
He identified the cylinder recirculation system, six-refill support and barcode-enabled monitoring as important elements for ensuring the sustainability and accountability of the intervention.
Ogaree said the programme’s target of reaching 1 million households annually and 5 million by 2030 supports Nigeria’s broader ambition to increase domestic LPG consumption to 5 million metric tonnes annually by 2030.
He reaffirmed NMDPRA’s commitment to developing a safe, competitive and sustainable LPG market.
FG links LPG rollout to women’s empowerment
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the programme represents part of the Federal Government’s strategy to translate Nigeria’s abundant gas resources into tangible economic and social benefits.
Ekpo commended President Tinubu for placing women’s empowerment, grassroots prosperity and domestic gas utilisation at the centre of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister formally launched the Akwa Ibom activation of the NGLPP, with 27,000 LPG cylinders earmarked for distribution and beneficiaries eligible for up to six refills within a year.
He also launched the Rural Women Empowerment Initiative for Entrepreneurship Development, under which 3,000 women will each receive N100,000, representing N300 million in direct financial support.
The funding is expected to support small businesses, agriculture, household incomes and other forms of rural economic activity.
Ekpo said the NGLPP would eventually cover all 36 states and the FCT, with an annual target of 1 million households, 5 million households by 2030 and more than 10 million households by 2060.
He called for sustained collaboration among governments, regulators, energy companies, financial institutions, development partners, traditional institutions, communities and the media to ensure the programme achieves nationwide impact.
Akwa Ibom targets new gas investments
Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to extend the LPG programme to the state, describing the intervention as more than a cylinder distribution exercise.
He said the programme could improve household welfare, reduce environmental pressures associated with traditional cooking fuels and create new economic opportunities for thousands of households.
The governor also positioned Akwa Ibom as a potential destination for gas-based investment, highlighting opportunities in LPG bottling, cylinder manufacturing and maintenance, gas storage, transportation and logistics, gas processing and related energy infrastructure.
Eno reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for investment, entrepreneurship and grassroots economic development.
Clean cooking programme targets jobs and economic inclusion
Representing the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, Leah Tolulope Akinfiresoye said the programme could expand access to cleaner energy while creating opportunities for women and young people.
She said the LPG rollout has the potential to generate green jobs, encourage entrepreneurship and strengthen local economies as the initiative expands nationwide.
The Akwa Ibom launch included beneficiary sensitisation on LPG safety, the flag-off of cylinder distribution and the rollout of the rural women empowerment programme.
Government officials, energy industry stakeholders, traditional rulers, women and youth organisations, development partners and beneficiaries attended the event.
With Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom now participating, the Decade of Gas Initiative is expected to continue its state-by-state expansion of the NGLPP.
The programme’s success will depend not only on distributing cylinders but also on building reliable LPG supply chains, affordable refill networks, consumer awareness and sustainable financing capable of keeping households on clean cooking fuels after the initial free-refill support ends.
For Nigeria, the initiative represents a potentially significant step towards reducing dependence on traditional cooking fuels while creating a larger domestic market for its abundant natural gas resources.