Nigeria’s poor Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), popularly called cooking gas. consumption came to the front burner at the weekend as the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) decried Nigeria’s worsening consumption figure.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, stated this at the inauguration of Selai Gas Limited’s 30 metric tons gas refilling plant located at Fagba, Abule Egba, Lagos.
Wabote noted that the domestic consumption of LPG in the country which exceeded 1million Metric Tonnes (MT) in the year 2020 still remains the lowest per capita LPG consumption in Africa.
He maintained that the implication of the huge LPG consumption gap is that there are still a lot of opportunities for increasing LPG penetration in Nigeria and Selai Gas Station Ltd will benefit from that window of opportunity.
The Executive Secretary described Selai Gas as one of the front-runners that are taking practical steps in the Federal Government’s ‘’Decade of Gas’’ journey.
He expressed delight that the firm is led by a female, noting that the Board is keen to support women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
According to him, the firm is well-positioned to benefit from the $40m Women in Oil and Gas Intervention Fund deployed by the NCDMB and Nexim Nigerian Export-Import Bank.
Represented by the Manager Projects Certification and Authorization (PCAD), Mr. Adewale Adenugba, the Executive Secretary explained that the Board had in recent years partnered with private sector players to invest in the gas value-chain, including the development of LPG storage terminals and jetties, inland gas processing to produce LPG, infrastructure for gas gathering, manufacturing of composite LPG cylinders and other projects.
The NCDMB boss also highlighted that the economic, social, and environmental benefits of switching from solid and liquid forms of fuel to gaseous forms are equally enormous.
“The deaths and illnesses caused by smoke and wood fumes are nothing to be proud of for a country sitting on 203tcf of proven gas reserves. This gas station will bring the products closer to end-users,” he affirmed.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, Selai Gas Station Ltd, Ms.Damilola Owolabi stated that the company sited the plant in the Agege part of Lagos to take advantage of the dense population.
The intent, she said, is to provide an outlet where the residents can easily refill their cooking gas and get encouraged to stop the use of dirty energy sources like firewood, charcoal, and kerosine.
She stated that part of the company’s market entry strategy is the introduction of a cylinder program for women.
Under the scheme, certain categories of women would get gas cylinders at reduced costs, to encourage them to switch to cooking gas, which is safer, cleaner, and cheaper.
The company also plans to engage men who ride tricycles to deliver refilled cylinders to customers’ homes she added.
Dwelling on the long-term plans, Owolabi said Selai Gas would go into the manufacture of gas cylinders and had already secured a suitable location for the purpose.
Friends and stakeholders of the oil and gas industry, particularly members of the Women in Energy Network and Women in LPG delivered goodwill messages at the event.
