27 February 2013, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Lagos State Government and the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, PPMC, have hailed Techno Oil Ltd for the company’s initiative in promoting usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Mr Taofeek Tijani, the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, gave the commendation in Lagos at a ceremony to unveil “TechnoGas Stoves,”’ to encourage the use of cooking gas nationwide.
Tijani said the goal of government toward achieving a healthy environment would be achieved if the populace embraced the use of cooking gas.
“LPG is the safest and cleanest option, given the ecological issues and health-related risks associated with the use of firewood and kerosene in households.
“LPG is efficient, economical, safe and good to human health; it should be the best option for households,” Tijani stated.
He urged oil and gas companies operating in the country to continue in their efforts in ensuring increased use of LPG, commending Techno Oil for manufacturing the gas stoves.
The Managing Director of the PPMC, Mr Haruna Momoh, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the PPMC were eager to see many households embracing cooking gas, instead of firewood and kerosene.
He praised Techno Oil for leading the way in encouraging LPG use, saying that popularising cooking gas use would impact positively on the economy.
The Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr Austen Olorunsola, also lauded the gas stove initiative, urging other oil and gas companies in the country to emulate it.
Mr Tony Onyeama, the Managing Director of Techno Oil, advised the Federal Government to collaborate with oil and gas firms to find ways to make households to use cooking gas, instead of firewood or kerosene.
He said the collaboration would bring numerous benefits to the country and curtail the dangers associated with the use of kerosene while also promoting healthier and neater environment.
“We want the Federal and State Governments to borrow a leaf from other countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and India that have achieved success in cooking gas utilisation.
“Our government should put a programme in place to ease the cost of cooking gas to enable low-income households to switch to gas by acquiring gas stoves and cylinders at affordable costs,” he said.
According to him, government can achieve this by collaborating with experienced and competent indigenous companies while collaborating with local energy companies to promote the use of cooking gas to boost the Local Content Initiative of the Federal Government.
“Government should boost infrastructure development in the LPG sub-sector to encourage private investment in storage terminals, jetties, refilling plants and local manufacturing of cylinders and accessories,” he added.
The managing director said it was regrettable that many families depended on kerosene for their cooking needs, noting that the development would have adverse implication for the economy.
He said that shifting to cooking gas would save scarce foreign exchange, hitherto, expended on kerosene importation.
Onyeama said that Techno Oil in support of the Federal Government’s Gas Master Plan, launched on March 24, 2011, had launched a “Going Green Revolution” to engender a shift from kerosene to cooking gas among Nigerians.