President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned a 40,000-cubic-metre (CBM) Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), in Ulsan, South Korea, as part of efforts to deepen gas availability and affordability in Nigeria and across Africa.
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, President Tinubu said the commissioning of the vessel underscored Nigeria’s commitment to delivering clean and sustainable energy solutions across the continent.
The MT Iyaloja (Lagos) is owned by WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and Sahara Group. The dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier boosts WAGL’s total vessel capacity to 162,000 CBM. Other ships in its fleet include MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Strategic Partnership for Energy Growth
President Tinubu commended WAGL, NNPC, and Sahara Group for their “strategic foresight, technical excellence, and unwavering commitment” to expanding Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.
Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari—represented by Olalekan Ogunleye, Executive Vice President (Gas, Power and New Energy)—described the vessel as a major boost to Nigeria’s gas development agenda.
“NNPC Ltd. is proud to be a major shareholder in this indigenous company, which in addition to the newly commissioned MT Iyaloja (Lagos), owns four other LPG vessels in its growing fleet, delivering over 6 million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa in the last five years,” Ojulari said.
He added that NNPC was deepening its efforts to make LPG more affordable, accessible, and available nationwide.
Honouring a Legacy
Temitope Shonubi, Chairman of WAGL and Executive Director of Sahara Group, said the commissioning of the vessel reflected the company’s vision of bridging Africa’s energy infrastructure gap responsibly.
“The addition of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) embodies the spirit of progress and empowerment championed by the iconic Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, whose legacy we honour,” he said. Mogaji, the late mother of President Tinubu, was a respected trader and leader of market women.
Her granddaughter, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, performed the symbolic ribbon-cutting at the ceremony.
Future Expansion Plans
Sani Bello, Managing Director of WAGL, revealed that the company plans to further expand its fleet within the next two years with the acquisition of a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC).
“This milestone strengthens our integrated supply network across the energy value chain and positions WAGL to play a bigger role in driving energy access in Africa,” Bello added.
The commissioning of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) marks another step in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to reposition its gas sector as a driver of economic growth and sustainable energy development.
