By James Jibril
Federal government has commended the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited for suspending the exportation of cooking gas while approving 100 per cent domestic supply of the product to consumers in the country.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor gave the commendation in a statement released by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Saghir el Mohammed.
Ikeazor, who said the initiative was a welcomed development and a step in the right direction, also added that the bold step will not only bring down the price of the commodity but also bring relief to our forests and the ecosystems.
He said: “NLNG should be commended for its sensitivity and responsiveness to the plight of Nigerians.
“For us in the environment sector, this singular decision will not only help in restoring our forests and in addressing some of our climate challenges, but also facilitate the attainment of our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and other aspects of the Paris Agreement.”
The minister recalled that shortly after the increase in the prices of cooking gas in the country, millions of Nigerians could no longer afford the commodity and consequently resorted to firewood and charcoal as alternatives.
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While regretting that cutting the forests for fuel wood and charcoal has been a major cause of deforestation and other climate change challenges, he lamented that wood and charcoal smokes contribute to air pollution and other pollutants that produce greenhouse gases.
“We in the environment sector strongly support and believe that by making gas available and affordable, being the cleanest of the fossil fuels, Nigeria is now set towards cutting down on its carbon emissions drastically, thus play a prominent role during the current energy transition period,” he said.
NLNG had on January 14, 2022, said that the move is designed to increase LPG availability in Nigeria, diversify its use and support the federal government’s Decade of Gas initiative.
NLNG is currently the highest single supplier of LPG to the domestic market, with an estimated 400,000 metric tonnes supplied in 2021.
The milestone is coming just three months after the company supplied its first propane cargo into the domestic market and has developed a scheme to sustainably supply propane for usage in cooking gas blending as well as in agro-allied, autogas, power and petrochemical sectors of the Nigerian economy to further deepen gas utilization in the country.
