Bayelsa State made history on Monday as it became the first state to launch the Federal Government’s State-Level LPG Cylinder Distribution Programme, with the Federal Government and state authorities pledging to move millions of Nigerian households away from firewood and other dirty cooking fuels.

The flag-off ceremony in Yenagoa drew top government officials, traditional rulers, and hundreds of beneficiaries who received free LPG cylinders and accessories under the initiative driven by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas).

Delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, described the event as “a landmark moment in our collective journey towards cleaner energy, healthier homes, and a more prosperous nation.”

“At the heart of this programme lies a simple but powerful conviction: that the promise of Nigeria’s abundant natural gas must translate into dignity, safety, and improved wellbeing for our people,” Ekpo said.

He added: “No mother should be compelled to choose between feeding her family and protecting her health. No child should inhale harmful smoke because cleaner energy remains beyond reach.”

He said the Bayelsa rollout builds on the zonal phase already completed across the six geopolitical zones and now marks a shift to direct, state-by-state deployment.

“With Bayelsa State as the starting point, we are now moving from regional implementation to a broader state-by-state deployment designed to reach households more directly and more effectively,” the Minister stated, stressing: “Every cylinder placed in the hands of a beneficiary represents one less household dependent on firewood, charcoal, or other harmful cooking fuels.”

Ekpo linked the programme to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Decade of Gas Initiative, noting Nigeria’s over 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.

He added that expanding LPG use would also cut deforestation, lower emissions, and create jobs across manufacturing, logistics, and retail.

The Minister urged beneficiaries to use the cylinders safely and become “ambassadors of clean cooking” in their communities.

“From Bayelsa State, let this torch of clean energy rise and spread across our nation, lighting homes, protecting lives, creating opportunities, and restoring dignity to every Nigerian household,” he said.

---"We cried, we fought"— Gov Diri---

Bayelsa State Governor, speaking on behalf of the “Government of Prosperity,” welcomed the programme as a turning point for a state that has borne the brunt of oil exploration.

“As a state in the Niger Delta, particularly this state that oil was first struck in quantities, we have cried, we have fought for environmental degradation and the abandonment of our people,” the Governor said.

He stated: “While the cities are built with money from our soil, we languish in poverty. We use firewood to cook, while they use gas from our land to cook. But today, the story is changing.”

He recounted seeing residents along the new Yenagoa City Route 1 gathering firewood days after President Tinubu inaugurated the road, and said it reinforced the need for alternatives.

“And I was telling myself: what do I do to get our people out of firewood cooking? And today, we have the federal government also thinking the way we are thinking. And this will be the beginning of getting our women and our people out of firewood cooking,” he said.

The Governor admitted that the preference for firewood was partly borne out of ignorance, including the belief that “jollof rice cooked with firewood is sweeter than the one cooked with gas.”

“We have all forgotten the smoke that gets into the eyes of our mothers, the smoke that they inhale, which later constitutes health hazards. And ignorantly, we have accepted that as a way of life — very harmful practices,” he said.

He thanked President Tinubu, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas), and partners for the intervention, and presented to the Minister copies of Bayelsa’s environmental reports previously submitted to the President, which he described as evidence of “environmental genocide” in the Niger Delta.

“It is time for us to think about the people of the Niger Delta and give back to the people of the Niger Delta. That is what we are witnessing today,” the Governor added.

---What happens next---

Officials said the Bayelsa distribution is the template for similar rollouts in other states, with a focus on underserved and rural communities.

Beneficiaries at the event received cylinders, burners, and safety training, and were counseled on safe handling.

Both Ekpo and the Governor agreed the long-term goal is universal access to clean cooking energy, backed by investment in cylinder production, storage, and distribution infrastructure to drive jobs and local enterprise.

“Let me once again reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the Federal Government, under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to unlocking Nigeria’s gas resources for national development,” Ekpo stated.

He concluded: “This is more than a distribution programme; it is a promise of a cleaner future and a stronger Nigeria.”

Mr. Udeme Etukeyen of Ricchezza Capital commended the multi-faceted impact of the intervention on deforestation, climate resilience, energy transition, economic and social livelihoods, and overall wellness benefits.

Beneficiary women and youth corps members also lauded the thoughtful solution under the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas Initiative, describing the distribution of 5,000 gas burners and cylinders as a critical first step toward poverty alleviation and healthy living.

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