Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor has commended the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG Limited for its decision to suspend the exportation of cooking gas in the country.
The NLNG also approved 100 per cent domestic supply of the product.
Ikeazor said the initiative was a welcomed development that will not only bring down the price of the commodity but also bring relief to the country’s forests and ecosystems.
“The NLNG should be commended for its sensitivity and responsiveness to the plight of Nigerians, for us in the environment sector, this singular decision will not only help in restoring our forests and in addressing some of our climate challenges, but also facilitate the attainment of our Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC and other aspects of the Paris Agreement.” Ikeazor stated.
Ikeazor recalled that shortly after the increase in the prices of cooking gas in the country, millions of Nigerians could no longer afford the commodity and consequently resorted to firewood and charcoal as alternatives.According to her, “the unhealthy development has been so severe on the forest ecosystem that the reserves and even trees outside the forests were not spared”.
The Minister stressed that cutting the forests for fuel wood and charcoal has been a major cause of deforestation and other climate change challenges, which also contribute to air pollution and other pollutants that produce greenhouse gases.
“We in the environment sector strongly support and believe that by making gas available and affordable, being the cleanest of the fossil fuels, Nigeria is now set towards cutting down on its carbon emissions drastically, by playing a prominent role during the current energy transition period” The Minister added.
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