Gilbert Ekugbe
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Lagos State Government have partnered to push for the increased usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in households across Lagos State and the nation at large.
The president, LCCI, Gabriel Idahosa, at the LPG Group Eko Gas Scheme II report launch in Lagos, explained that access to clean and affordable energy is a critical challenge in the country, with about 68.3 per cent of Nigerian households using firewood and charcoal for cooking.
He noted that LPG is a clean and efficient alternative to traditional biomass fuels, with lower greenhouse gas emissions and fewer health impacts.
However , speaking on the Eko Gas Scheme, the LCCI boss said it is an initiative of the LCCI–LPG Group established in 2013 in partnership with the Lagos Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) to create awareness and promote widespread adoption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) usage in households across Lagos State.
He lamented that the combination of population growth and lack of access to clean cooking is having a severe impact on several levels including health impact caused by indoor air pollution, carbon emission, and increasing deforestation.
To address these challenges, the Nigerian Government identified the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) subsector as a key area for enhancing energy efficiency and expanding access to clean cooking energy.
“However, despite Nigeria’s largest natural gas reserves in Africa, and the significant growth in the consumption of LPG in the country, the per capita usage of gas of 5kg in Nigeria as at the end of 2021 remains low compared to Ghana at 6.4kg, South Africa at 7.5kg, Senegal at 9.4kg, Egypt at 62kg and Morocco at 70kg,” he bemoaned.
According to him, the LPG subsector is still faced with limited infrastructure, low levels of awareness among consumers, and consumers perception of affordability of LPG, warning that the emissions released during the burning of charcoal and firewood indoors contribute to indoor air pollution, which can have adverse effects on human health, particularly respiratory issues.
“This further underscores the urgency and importance of transitioning to clean and sustainable cooking energy solutions like LPG.
It is important to note that the second phase of this Scheme has recorded outstanding achievements including educating over 1,000 households, distribution of free LPG cylinders and industrial gas burners to 15 beneficiaries and creating a potential consumption of 8,928kg of LPG. This is a significant contribution of LCCI to the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) which focuses on the need to provide modern energy access for all,” he said.
He appealed to all its stakeholders, including partners and members to support the important Eko Gas Scheme by the LCCI LPG Sectoral Group, assuring that the Chamber would continue to work closely with the Group on the commendable project.
Also speaking, the Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Abiodun Ogunleye, said the energy transition initiative is no longer an option but a necessity, pointing out that LPG plays an important role in the transition especially owing to its application in the domestic space.
He stated that the Lagos State Government has demonstrated its commitment to cleaner energy through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in its role in ¥2013 by partnering with the LPG Group of the Chamber to embark on the Eko Gas Initiative which served to deepen the use of LPG as a fuel of choice amongst Lagosians through public enlightenment and cylinder penetration in all the LGAs and LCDAs in the State.
