The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas), in collaboration with the Decade of Gas Initiative, has distributed 27,000 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as part of the state roll-out of the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme (NGLPP).
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the initiative demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to ensuring that “Nigerian gas must work for Nigerians” by improving lives, empowering families, creating opportunities and supporting inclusive national prosperity.
Speaking at the launch of the Rural Women Empowerment Initiative for Entrepreneurship Development, Ekpo said no nation could rise above the strength, dignity and productivity of its women, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had placed women’s empowerment at the heart of national development.
“Governance must be felt where it matters most: in safer homes, stronger families, empowered women, thriving businesses and communities lifted by prosperity,” he said.
Ekpo said 3,000 beneficiaries would receive ₦100,000 each to expand their businesses, support their families and invest in farming, thereby boosting food production and rural employment.
“It is more than a grant; it is a clear statement that this administration believes in the enterprise, resilience and leadership of Nigerian women,” he said.
On the LPG intervention, Ekpo said the 27,000 cylinders would help households move away from traditional fuels to cleaner and safer cooking energy.
He stressed the importance of safety education, saying the success of the programme required immediate action, effective partnerships, grassroots mobilisation, safety education, enterprise financing, reliable refill systems and sustained community trust.
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, endorsed the intervention, saying it complemented the state government’s efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods.
Eno announced plans to empower 110,000 women through cooperative societies in October 2026, with 300 women selected from each ward.
“This programme goes beyond the distribution of gas cylinders. It is about improving lives, protecting our environment and delivering economic opportunities directly to 27,000 households,” he said.
The Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Secretariat, Ed Ubong, said Akwa Ibom had Nigeria’s largest gas reserves, adding that increased utilisation of the resource would accelerate the state’s development.
“Each year, we are going to enable one million women across the whole of Nigeria, leading us to five million by 2030,” Ubong said.
The Leader of the Grassroots LPG Programme, Ramatu Abdullahi, said the initiative would provide a Depot Hub Node cylinder-exchange model, free refills for about six months and accessible refill depots across local government areas.
“We have brought the refill point to you. Every local government will have a refill point, more than one,” she said.
Abdullahi said a digital platform would be used to track cylinders, collections and refills, enabling the programme to measure its impact and address challenges relating to accessibility, affordability and adoption.
Representing the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Francis Alabo Ogaree reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to developing a safe, competitive and sustainable LPG market.
He said the target of reaching five million beneficiaries by 2030 supported Nigeria’s broader goal of increasing domestic LPG consumption to five million metric tonnes annually by 2030.
