The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has urged Nigerians to embrace cooking gas instead of relying on firewood, stressing that a country with vast natural gas reserves should not depend on traditional cooking methods.
Ekpo made the call on Tuesday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the launch of the National Grassroots LPG Penetration Programme, a federal initiative aimed at expanding access to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) across the country.
He said the programme is designed to improve the quality of life for Nigerians by making clean cooking energy more accessible, safer, and affordable for households.
According to the minister, no family should have to rely on firewood when Nigeria possesses abundant natural gas resources capable of providing cleaner and healthier energy solutions. He noted that wider access to LPG would help protect families from the health risks associated with smoke from firewood while improving overall living standards.
The initiative is being implemented under the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas Initiative in partnership with major energy companies, including Seplat Energy, ExxonMobil, NNPC, NLNG, Dangote Group, SPDC, and TotalEnergies.
The programme is expected to encourage more households to adopt cooking gas as their primary source of energy while reducing dependence on firewood and other traditional fuels.
Ekpo explained that Bayelsa is the first state to benefit from the state-by-state rollout after the successful implementation of pilot projects across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
He stated that Nigeria’s proven natural gas reserves of over 215 trillion cubic feet present a significant opportunity to drive industrial growth, strengthen energy security, and improve economic development.
The minister added that the nationwide expansion of the programme reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that the country’s gas resources directly benefit ordinary Nigerians through cleaner and more efficient energy solutions.
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, who flagged off the free distribution of LPG cylinders, welcomed the initiative and described it as a major step toward improving the lives of people in the Niger Delta.
Diri said communities in the region have long suffered environmental degradation despite producing the country’s oil and gas resources, noting that many residents still depend on firewood for cooking while cleaner energy is extracted from their land.
He expressed optimism that the programme would help reduce the use of firewood, particularly among women, and improve access to modern cooking energy across the state.
The Federal Government said the initiative will gradually be extended to other states as part of efforts to promote clean energy adoption and improve household welfare nationwide.
