Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, on Monday, called on the Federal Government and relevant policy makers to initiate steps towards reducing the rising cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country.
Governor Okowa made the call at a two-day LPG sensitisation and awareness campaign organised by the National LPG Expansion Plan, Office of the Vice President in conjunction with the State Government held at the Unity Hall, Government House, in Asaba, the state capital.
READ ALSO: http://Lagos begins 2021 Africa Industrialisation Week
Represented by his Chief Economic Adviser, Dr. Kingsley Emu, Governor Okowa said stakeholders must work to reduce the rising cost of LPG if the objective of the National LPG Expansion plan was to be realised.
He thanked the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria for selecting Delta State as one of the pilot states for the public enlightenment campaign.
Governor Okowa was quoted as saying, “Just recently, world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Ireland, in a Summit (COP-26) to discuss the adverse effects of climate change occasioned by the use of fossil fuels and the need to move towards cleaner energy.
“This makes the adoption of LPG as a transition fuel to greener sources exigent, and Delta State is keen to play a vital role in this process and will give this awareness programme maximum support,” Governor Okowa assured.
The governor also said Delta State was home to 40 per cent of the nation’s natural gas endowments, hence a large number of oil and gas companies operate in the state.
He added that there were prospects for the establishment of gas processing plants and gas-related industries in the state with implications for employment generation, inclusive economic growth and sustainable development.
READ ALSO: http://Delta: Ijaw leader attacked, escapes death days after endorsing Urhobo for 2023 Governorship
He continued, “However, as we adopt LPG as the fuel to drive the socio-economic activities of the economy, we must acknowledge a big challenge currently confronting the populace, the issue of high price of LPG in the market.
“At the rate the price is skyrocketing, LPG is gradually getting out of the reach of the middle class and common man.
“The price increase has been linked to several factors including the VAT re-introduction, devaluation of the naira and large importation of LPG vis-a-vis low production locally.
Governor Okowa lamented the continuous flaring of gas by most oil and gas companies and urged them to expand their production facility to include the capacity to convert gas to LPG for use because of the untapped potentials in the LPG market.
He called on investors to come into the oil and gas sector and improve the availability of LPG in the market.
The governor added that his administration had carried out significant reforms to create investor friendly climate in the state, including tax harmonisation, easy access to land and dispute resolution mechanisms to handle conflicts when they arise.
