The Lagos State Government has appealed to the residents of the state to embrace the usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), otherwise known as cooking gas, as the fuel of future .
The state government in the bid to encourage the usage of the product, took the message through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to lkeja Local Government with the distribution of free gas cylinders and accessories to the residents of Ojodu Local Council Development Area.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mrs. Regina Iyabo Obasa who spoke at the ceremony said, the state government is determined to ensure that Lagos homes imbibe the use of cooking gas because of its health advantages.
She noted that ‘EKO GAS” initiative was started by the LPG Group of the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, adding that the state government introduced the Eko Gas Scheme due to its health benefits, environmental advantages and economic value.
According to her, LPG was introduced as the fuel of choice for residents of Lagos in order to reduce carbon emissions from the use of firewood and kerosene and because it is cleaner, healthier, safer, more efficient and convenient to use for cooking.
“Certain health problems like conjunctivitis, bronchitis and even heart diseases are on the increase and it is being suspected that the use of kerosene, fire wood and charcoal are likely causes of some of these diseases because of the fumes inhaled when used for cooking,” she noted ..
,Obasa further stated that the state government as part of its public education programme, started sensitising and distributing free Eko Gas stove cylinders to the residents of the state.
“This has been taken to lkorodu LG, Isolo LCDA, Eredo LCDA, and Badagry Central LCDA’’, Alimosho LG, OrileAgege, AjeromiIfelodun and Ojodu LCDA today,” she added.
She further added that the state in conjunction with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has mapped out plans to sensitise and distribute gas cylinders with full accessories to other LGA/LCDA every week till the end of this year.
In a welcome address, the Council Chairman Hon. O. Oloro expressed his appreciation to the ministry and promised to mobilise the residents of Ojodu Council Development Area to cultivate the idea of cooking with gas and eradicate cooking with stoves, charcoal and firewood.
The chairman noted that the distribution of free 3kg gas cylinders to residents of Ojodu was a poverty alleviating scheme as about five hundred gas cylinders were distributed to residents without consideration to political party affiliations.
