FG to encourage use of cooking gas in rural communities

The Federal Government is set to encourage the use of cooking gas in every home, especially in rural communities rather than the age-long use of firewood.

Executive Secretary, Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), Mr Ahmed Bobboi, who made this known in Abuja, said the government was considering a scheme to transport gas to nooks and crannies of Nigeria, with a view to making it more available in rural areas.

According to him, bridging transportation of gas will leverage on existing infrastructure used for paying for the transportation of petroleum products across the country.

He said the fund was working to expand domestic gas usage across Nigeria due to the declaration of the decade of gas by the government.

Mr Bobboi said equalisation and bridging have worked well for petrol distribution by ensuring stable price across Nigeria, saying bridging cost for gas would make it accessible and affordable for consumers.

“If it is working well for petrol, it will work for gas. The government wants to promote the use of gas. If we can extend that scheme to gas, we believe that it will add value to our economy in so many ways, especially in the area of the value chain.

“It will help in getting the consumers in those areas to accept the usage of gas and abandon the age-long use of firewood in cooking with its attendant problems and challenges including health hazards and deforestation which causes a lot of problems in the country.

“It will also make the product available because we have it in abundance in the country. It also makes it affordable to the people because if you incentives the marketer by paying for its transportation to take it to the last mile, the consumer will also be incentives because the marketer will bring down its price so that it will be affordable and accessible to the consumer,” he added.

On the disagreement between the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) which led to a strike last month that resulted in days of petrol scarcity, the executive secretary said the government was in talks with all parties to ensure a lasting solution to the problem.

Mr Bobboi said despite the provision of a new transportation cost of N9.11 in the new petrol pricing template, the implementation was delayed by the negotiation between labour and the government.

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FG to encourage use of cooking gas in rural communities

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