The federal government is enhancing the usage of LPG in Katsina through the National Gas Expansion Programme
In 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari-federal government introduced another life-changing project called the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP). The project is being spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. It is a project aimed at embarking on a massive roll-out of small gas retail outlets across the country.
The primary focus of the widely accepted project is the need to bring the dispensing and availability of gas to the remotest settlements in the country, ensuring that the retail outlets would be properly equipped with dispensing machines, measuring equipment and safety measures.
According to the initiators of the project, the intention of the project is not to drive the existing retail marketers out of business; rather, it is to partner with them to boost their capacity and ensure their safety from the associated risks.
The objective of the federal government’s project is to reinforce and expand gas supply as well as stimulate demand in the country through the effective and efficient mobilisation and utilisation of all available assets, resources and infrastructure in the country.
Thus, it seeks to ensure easy access and availability of liquefied petroleum gas in the states, create job opportunities for 1,279,442 unemployed youths through the selection of beneficiaries from the project and assist to scale up the business of entrepreneurs as well as individuals who are already in the business of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
It also ensures that individuals, families and groups get proper knowledge on the use of liquefied petroleum gas and its benefits such as curbing desertification (the falling of trees to be used as firewood) and pollution through firewood smoke.
It is against this backdrop, that the National Gas Expansion Programme, in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, recently organised a training for its beneficiaries who were carefully selected across the 34 local government areas of the state, held at the Tourist Lodge, Katsina.
The one-day capacity building training sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board ((NCDMB), provided the participants with prerequisite knowledge on how to use liquefied petroleum gas, identification and store LPG products in their respective communities.
The beneficiaries were also trained on proper storage of the liquefied petroleum gas (at the domestic and commercial level), hazards of using liquefied petroleum gas, prevention and management of fire and accidents, management of fire incidents related to the use of LPG, sales, distribution and marketing of the product.
In a bid to avert illegal transactions of the product across the state, especially in rural areas, the participants were taught about the legal aspect of running an LPG business and its distribution, insurance and tax, health and safety measures in the use of the liquefied petroleum gas.
Speaking on the hazards of using LPG, Amina Sada Yusuf, said LPG can catch fire very easily and if leaks, it will evaporate and form a large cloud of gas, which will settle in low spots such as drains or basements and can cause a fire or suffocation hazard.
She, therefore, urged the participants and other users of the LPG to always ensure that there is the availability of safety equipment within and around their houses and ensure regular training and fire drills for members of their households to prevent the hazards of the LPG.
Another resource person, Dr Abdullahi Muhammad Maigari, who spoke on proper storage of the LPG, said necessary measures must be put in place in the storage of the LPG at both domestic and commercial levels and cross ventilation is needed “because the majority of the commercial points are storing gas cylinders under heated conditions”.
According to him, “It is important to adhere strictly to all the safety rules in the storage of gas at both domestic and commercial level to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizens”.
In his presentation titled, “The Legal Aspect of Running Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Mr Ibrahim Isah, said the LPG is a trusted, efficient and clean source of energy for use in residential, commercial and industrial sectors that requires legal backing by retailers.
He said the government must make sure that individuals who are interested in running an LPG business must obtain a CAC registration to run the LPG business.
Addressing the participants, the Director-General of the Katsina State Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, gave a brief overview of the National Gas Expansion Programme, especially on the rapid roll-out of micro-distribution centres and its expected economic benefits to the people of the state.
He expressed the readiness of the state government to give all necessary support to the success of the National Gas Expansion Project, saying the project would create more employment opportunities for the teeming youths across the three senatorial zones of the state.
He added that the government was committed to ensuring that the programme is tailored toward industrialising the state through disregard, automotive and other applications, stressing that natural gas is a catalyst for the industrial and economic growth of any developed nation.
To show the commitment of the state government to the programme, he said, his department mobilised some of the relevant stakeholders that attended the event, to tap into the project and ensure its full utilization for the people of the state, and achieve the general aims and objectives of the Project in the state.
He, however, lauded the Nigerian Content Development Board (NCDMB) for its role in ensuring that the National Gas Expansion Programme achieves its domestic expansion plan in the state through the sponsorship of the project to ensure positive impacts on the socio-economic development of Katsina State.
In his remarks, Yahaya Adamu said the NGEP programme showcases available conversion issues and training of Nigerians on the gas utilisation programme, urging the beneficiaries to step down the training in their various communities for the effective and efficient usage of LPG in the state.
He elucidated the damaging effects of the smoke from firewood on the health and well-being of women, adding that recent research has shown that smoke from firewood has contributed to the death of so many women in rural areas leading to high mortality rates in the country.
Meanwhile, all the presentations at the event were followed by an interactive session, in which the participants were allowed to ask questions, comment or make suggestions that will aid the rapid roll-out of the distribution centres.
Recall that the National Gas Expansion Programme was formally flagged off in the Katsina State on October 9, 2020, with the engagement of critical stakeholders in communities across the 34 local government areas with regards to the rapid roll-out of micro-distribution centres in the state which is in furtherance to the achievement of the set aims and objectives of the project.
The event had 65 people in attendance consisting of representatives from all the 34 local government areas of the state, women in registered cooperatives, representatives of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) representatives of the gas retailers association, Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) as well as members of youth groups in the state.
