Bayelsa State has been earmarked as the take off point for the distribution of free cooking gas cylinders to Households in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory FCT by the federal government.
Under the programme, the government is targeting to reach five million households in the country by the year 2030 in an effort to ensure greater awareness in the transition to a gas economy.
Twenty -seven thousand households in Bayelsa State will benefit from the program which is expected to be flagged off in July 2026.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by Mrs. Edu Antai, Lead Technology /Media Relations of the Decade of Gas Secretariat at the end of a media awareness workshop in Port Harcourt.
The workshop was organized by the Decade Of Gas Secretariat in collaboration with the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV).
Speaking during the session, Mr. Taofeek Balogun of the Decade of Gas Secretariat described the Port Harcourt engagement as the third in a series of media engagements that began in 2025, following similar sessions in Lagos and Abuja.
He noted that Nigeria’s gas sector continues to record significant progress, with year-to-date gas production reaching 7.85 billion standard cubic feet per day (bcfd).
Domestic gas utilization has surpassed the 2 bcfd mark, while gas exports have risen to their highest level in five years, reflecting growing demand across power generation, industries, transportation, exports, and household consumption.
Mr. Balogun also highlighted the successful completion of the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) River Niger Crossing by NGIC/NNPCL, describing it as a critical infrastructure milestone that will improve gas transportation across the country, support industrial growth, attract investment, strengthen energy security, and contribute to economic development.
As part of efforts to expand domestic gas utilization, he reiterated the federal government’s commitment to increasing access to clean cooking solutions.
The government’s target is to distribute cooking gas cylinders to five million households by 2030.
Following the successful rollout of the programme across the six geopolitical zones by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, implementation will now move to the state level, beginning with Bayelsa State in July 2026.
He said under the initiative, 27,000 households in Bayelsa State are expected to receive cooking gas cylinders within the year as part of the 1 million homes per year target.
Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer of Pi-CNG & EV, Mr. Tosin Coker, highlighted ongoing efforts to expand the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric mobility solutions as cleaner and more affordable transportation alternatives for Nigerians.
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He disclosed that the federal government is promoting the adoption of CNG across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the conversion of existing vehicle fleets and the procurement of CNG-powered vehicles as part of broader efforts to reduce transportation costs and improve energy efficiency.
According to Mr. Coker, more than 100,000 vehicles have now been converted to CNG nationwide under the initiative, reflecting growing acceptance of alternative fuel solutions and supporting the country’s transition towards cleaner and more sustainable transportation.
Participants commended the initiative for strengthening media capacity and improving public understanding of developments within Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Decade of Gas Secretariat and Pi-CNG & EV reaffirmed their commitment to sustained stakeholder engagement and public awareness as Nigeria continues its journey towards a gas-powered economy.
