FG flags off grassroots LPG penetration programme in Bayelsa
Yenagoa July 2026 (TBL Africa)The Federal government on Tuesday flagged off the National Grassroots Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Penetration Programme in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital.
The programme aims to provide cooking gas to 27,000 households in Bayelsa.
It forms part of the government’s effort to facilitate clean energy and reduce the cost of cooking gas.
Speaking during the flag-off of the scheme in Yenagoa, the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, said that the Federal Government was ensuring that Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources translated into tangible benefits for citizens.
Ekpo said that the country, endowed with over 215 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, must harness the resource to improve livelihoods, expand access to clean energy and drive sustainable economic development.
He said that the initiative championed by a Decade of Gas policy was targeting 5,000,000 Nigerian households to migrate from firewood to cooking gas by 2030.
According to him, Bayelsa is privileged to host the first State-Level LPG Cylinder Distribution Programme in the country, because of its position as a leading gas producing state.
He said that when the price of gas was high, the Federal Government had to direct the producers to stop exporting gas to have enough for domestic supply, a development that had helped to reduce the price.
“This occasion is not merely an event; it is a landmark moment in our collective journey towards cleaner energy, healthier homes, and a more prosperous nation.
“By taking this pioneering step, Bayelsa State has earned a distinguished place in history as the launch state for this transformative national initiative.
“At the heart of this programme lies a simple but powerful conviction: that the promise of Nigeria’s abundant natural gas must translate into dignity, safety, and improved wellbeing for our people.
“No mother should be compelled to choose between feeding her family and protecting her health. No child should inhale harmful smoke because cleaner energy remains beyond reach.
“No family should spend valuable hours searching for firewood when our nation is richly endowed with gas resources capable of powering safer and more dignified lives,” the minister said.
Ekpo said that the state-level rollout built on the zonal phase previously implemented by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) across the six geopolitical zones, with one state representing each zone.
According to him, those rollouts gave valuable lessons, deepened stakeholder collaboration, and strengthened government’s resolve that access to clean cooking energy must be expanded with urgency, purpose, and compassion to every Nigerian household.
“With Bayelsa State as the starting point, we are now moving from regional implementation to a broader state-by-state deployment designed to reach households more directly and more effectively.
“This marks a decisive step towards ensuring that the benefits of clean cooking are felt where they matter most: in our homes, our communities, and the daily lives of our citizens.
“Nigeria is abundantly blessed with over 215 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, making us one of the foremost gas-endowed nations in the world.
“Our solemn responsibility is to ensure that this national endowment is converted into tangible benefits for our citizens,” he said.
On his part, Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa, who flagged-off the distribution commended the Federal Government for the initiative.
Diri said that the initiative would help in curbing the pollution challenges in the state.
