KEY POINTS
- Nigeria clean energy drive highlighted with new LPG vessel.
- NNPC Ltd. vows wider access to affordable LPG.
- Sahara Group plans further fleet expansion within two years.
Nigeria is stepping up its role in Africa’s clean energy transition, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on Saturday, as the country commissioned a new 40,000 cubic meter Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel in South Korea.
The vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), was launched in Ulsan by WAGL Energy Ltd., a joint venture between Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) and Sahara Group. It is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier that expands WAGL’s total fleet capacity to 162,000 CBM. While other vessels in the fleet include MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Nigeria targets clean energy leadership
Speaking through Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, Tinubu said Nigeria aims to deliver sustainable energy solutions not only domestically but across Africa and beyond. He further commended NNPC and Sahara Group for what he called their “strategic foresight and technical excellence.”
Furthermore “The commissioning of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) shows our commitment to clean energy and the pivotal role Nigeria will continue to play in Africa’s energy landscape,” Tinubu said.
Nigeria expands LPG fleet, a boost for gas infrastructure and affordability
NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by Executive Vice President Olalekan Ogunleye, described the vessel as a milestone in gas development, saying it will also strengthen Nigeria’s economic growth.
Ojulari added that NNPC is committed to making LPG affordable and accessible nationwide, noting that WAGL has delivered more than six million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa in the past five years.
Sahara Group further highlights legacy and future expansion
Sahara Group Executive Director Temitope Shonubi said the expansion reflects the company’s commitment to bridging Africa’s energy infrastructure gap.
“The MT Iyaloja (Lagos) embodies progress and empowerment, honouring the legacy of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji,” Shonubi also said, referring to Tinubu’s late mother, after whom the vessel is named.
WAGL’s Managing Director, Mohammed Sani Bello, also added that the company plans to expand its fleet within two years with the addition of a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC).
A symbolic launch
Alhaja Folasade Mujidat Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria and granddaughter of Mogaji, performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony, symbolizing both family and national heritage.
