Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mary Izuaka
Published on 2024-02-22 22:00:13
The Nigerian government recently announced that it is taking steps to ensure there is no exportation of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, in order to address the increasing price of cooking gas.
This was disclosed by Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), during an internal stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja. According to a statement by Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, the workshop is part of the government’s efforts to reposition the Nigerian gas sector for optimal performance, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to unlock the country’s abundant gas resources for economic development and poverty eradication.
The Minister stated that the government has withdrawn all taxes and levies from the importation of gas-related equipment as an incentive. Additionally, he mentioned that there were interactions with critical sectors to ensure there was no exportation of LPG. This is with the goal of domesticating all LPG products produced within the country, which would increase the volume and eventually reduce the price of cooking gas.
He assured that the government is regularly in touch with regulatory authorities and LPG producers to address the current challenges and that there is hope for the situation to improve without needing to create disruptions.
Furthermore, the Minister shared that a presidential initiative was set up before the ministers were inaugurated, with the aim of converting vehicles to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). He assured that efforts are underway, in collaboration with the regulators, to crash the price of cooking gas.
The cost of cooking gas in Nigeria has been on the rise over the years, prompting the government to implement measures to reduce the price of cooking gas in the country. The National Bureau of Statistics reported an increase in the price of refilling a 5kg cylinder of cooking gas in December 2023 compared to the previous year.
In summary, the government is addressing the issue of increasing cooking gas prices by engaging with stakeholders and ensuring that there is no exportation of LPG. Additionally, efforts are being made to introduce CNG as an alternative for vehicles to reduce the dependency on cooking gas. This is in line with the government’s agenda to unlock the country’s gas resources for sustainable economic development.
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