FG launches 27,000-cylinder LPG programme for Akwa Ibom women, targets 10 million homes by 2060

The Federal Government has launched the National Grassroots LPG Access Programme (NGLPP) in Akwa Ibom State, with 27,000 filled cooking gas cylinders earmarked for distribution to women across the state. Akwa Ibom becomes the second state to benefit from the nationwide rollout after Bayelsa State.

The initiative is being implemented through the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) and the Decade of Gas Initiative as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to expand clean cooking access across Nigeria. The programme targets one million households annually, five million homes by 2030 and more than 10 million homes by 2060.

Programme details and free refills

Speaking at the launch in Uyo, Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Ed Ubong, described Akwa Ibom as strategically important to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry because of its significant oil production and natural gas reserves. He said the 27,000 cylinders would be distributed to women in the state, adding that the programme would eventually cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Decade of Gas NGLPP Programme Lead, Ramatu Abdullahi, said the initiative would operate a Depot-Hub-Node cylinder exchange model designed to make LPG refill points accessible within one to two kilometres of participating communities. Under the programme, beneficiaries are eligible for up to six free LPG refills within one year. A digital monitoring platform will also be used to track cylinders, refills and household adoption.

Industry support and rural women empowerment

Representing the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure, Francis Alabo Ogaree, commended the programme’s emphasis on sustainable LPG adoption. He highlighted cylinder recirculation, refill support and barcode-enabled monitoring as key features designed to improve accountability. According to him, the initiative supports Nigeria’s ambition of increasing domestic LPG consumption to five million metric tonnes annually by 2030.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the programme reflects the administration’s commitment to women’s empowerment, grassroots prosperity and greater domestic utilisation of Nigeria’s gas resources. The minister also launched the Rural Women Empowerment Initiative for Entrepreneurship Development, under which 3,000 women will receive N100,000 each. The N300 million intervention is designed to support businesses, agriculture, household incomes and other rural economic activities.

Governor Eno welcomes programme

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno welcomed the programme, saying it could improve livelihoods, protect the environment and create economic opportunities for thousands of households. He added that the state was positioning itself to attract investments in LPG bottling, cylinder manufacturing and maintenance, gas storage, transportation, logistics and processing.

The launch featured LPG safety sensitisation, the flag-off of cylinder distribution and the rollout of the rural women entrepreneurship initiative as the Federal Government continues its push to make clean cooking energy more accessible to Nigerians.

For consumers, the programme builds on recent government moves to lower gas prices. The Nigeria Customs Service had removed import duty and Value Added Tax on cooking gas, compressed natural gas and electric vehicles under the Presidential Gas for Growth Initiative, a policy already reflected in lower LPG prices announced by dealers.