PORT FROM KEROSENE, FIREWOOD TO GAS, FASHOLA URGES LAGOSIANS The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday launched the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Cylinder initiative for clean and green environment in Lagos State, saying it is a step towards taking the people away from the old fashioned and harmful ways of cooking with firewood and charcoal. The Governor who spoke at the Masha Roundabout venue of the first skid- mounted LPG Plant said with this latest initiative, Lagos state has demonstrated that cooking gas is no longer the preserve of the rich alone. “Our support for this initiative is reflected in the State Government’s intervention of providing some financial assistance in reducing the initial cost of specific cylinder sizes to our citizens, particularly those in the rural areas and/or in the low income bracket. This is our support for the poor for whom we remain committed to deliver a better life”. He added that in Africa, Nigeria is the largest producer of the commodity but unfortunately ranks very low in Africa in per capita consumption of LPG and urged everyone to port from kerosene and firewood to LPG, saying: “Lagos don port o”. “In this way we hope to bridge the gap between the rich and poor by raising the quality of life of our vulnerable people. In this way we expect that we will begin to move our people away from the risk of death by fuel explosion when they desperately search for kerosene and lose their lives in a country that has so much proven gas reserves”, he stated. Governor Fashola said Liquefied Petroleum Gas’s positive social and environmental impact are considerable in terms of low Green House Gas (GHG’s) Emissions and that government expects that it will take the people away from an unhealthy environment to a cleaner and healthier one, free of respiratory and other life threatening diseases. He explained that the State Government has established a partnership with the LPG group at the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce through its members such as Oando, Gas Terminalling, Chimons and Tewa Gas to name a few; who already have on ground certified, and safe cylinders of various sizes. “Today, we are launching the first Skid-mounted LPG Plant right here in Surulere. There will be further skid-mounted plants deployed in various Local Government Areas (LGA) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) for gas availability and easy refill of LPG, so that LPG becomes as omnipresent as other cooking fuels currently are”. “The beauty of these Skid plants is that our citizens are able to go there and refill their empty cylinders with little or as much gas as they can afford. It is pay as you go and pay as you can afford, but it will no longer be the exclusive preserve of the rich”, the Governor stated. Governor Fashola went on to list the future targets of the State Government on LPG to include the introduction of LPG into TAXIs and Government vehicles in the state, introducing of LPG into public transport buses and staff buses; having 25% of private cars, buses use LPG and to create jobs through various LPG distribution channels particularly in the small business enterprises sector of the economy. He said as a nation, Nigeria faces the paradox of having an abundance of natural resources such as Oil and Gas and yet comparatively marginal economic growth and development and that one of the quick gains that the citizenry can enjoy is in the use of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) as the preferred choice of cooking
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:26:28 +0000
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