The Federal Government’s drive to stimulate job creation has started yielding dividends with Techno Oil Ltd set to inaugurate an automated Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal at Kirikiri in Apapa, Lagos. It is expected to generate 2,000 jobs.
The Managing Director of Techno Gas and Power, Mr Collins Onyeama, who made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Lagos said the facility would be inaugurated by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva on Nov. 18.
Onyeama said the building of the terminal, which holds 8,400 metric tons of cooking gas began in 2016 and that it was built by CAKASA Nigeria Ltd. in collaboration with foreign technical partners.
He said that the facility would boost the realisation of the LPG Expansion Project of the Federal Government.
“The terminal will generate revenue for all tiers of government through taxes and levies and more importantly generate over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for the teeming Nigerian population,” Onyeama said.
He said that a vessel, MT Pertusola had since discharged products, emanating from the OSO-Butane Bonny Terminal in Rivers at the Techno Oil facility.
According to him, the terminal is a big boost to the quest by government to deploy LPG infrastructure, which he described as currently inadequate in Nigeria.
Onyeama noted that the terminal would deepen LPG adoption and help in the resolve of the present administration to encourage the private sector to provide jobs for the populace.
The managing director said that the investment would also contribute significantly to gas flaring reduction.
He reiterated that Techno Oil embarked on the project to boost the drive by the Federal Government to increase consumption of LPG, currently standing at about 400,000 metric tons in Nigeria yearly.
Onyeama described the deployment of the facility as another milestone for his company after the inauguration of a landmark LPG manufacturing plant, owned by the company by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in June 2019.
He said he was delighted that Techno Oil was contributing its quota in getting more Nigerian homes to embrace cooking gas for cleaner, safer and healthier environment.
The managing director expressed his optimism that availability of cooking gas would discourage Nigerians from using firewood, kerosene and other inelegant materials for cooking.
Onyeama restated that although the use of cooking gas had increased by about 36.8 per cent in Nigeria in the past five years, over 90 per cent of households still relied on kerosene, firewood and other unhealthy fossils.
He said that Nigeria had a population of over 170 million people but that the country had less than one million households using cooking gas.
According to him, Nigeria still ranks lowest in sub-Saharan Africa in per capita usage of LPG, consuming 1.1kg, compared to Ghana, was currently consuming 3.0kg.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Techno Oil began operations 21 years ago, operating as a downstream company. It was marketing Esso blended lubricants before venturing into other areas of oil and gas.
Nigeria currently has five privately-owned LPG terminals in Lagos. (NAN)
