To increase utilisation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country, Petrocam Trading Nigeria Limited has opened another solar-powered LPG filling skid outlet in Ejirin, Epe, Lagos State.
Speaking during the formal opening of the five metric tonnes gas skid plant, Managing Director of Petrocam Trading Nigeria Limited, Patrick Ilo said the company built the LPG gas skid in order to encourage the usage of LPG, particularly in rural areas like Ejirin, where most people use firewood, noting that people can buy even minimum volume depending on what they can afford.
Ilo also said the gas skid provides employment opportunities for people of Ejirin considering how people leave rural areas to urban areas searching for employment.
On the proliferation of LPG stations in Nigeria, Ilo said; “I’m not sure it’s enough because we have over 200 million people in the country and where we are going now is an alternative source of energy and it’s not going to deplete the ozone layer.
“The only thing we have to look into is the security concerns and make sure they are properly situated. Like here, the regulator certified our operations and we got all the documents from the government, from suitability (which they look at), to approval, to construction, from license to operate. So proliferation does not really matter here and if you look at this environment, we are the first.”
He advised the government on the implementation of the Nigeria Gas Policy, saying; “government should show liberalism. They should make sure the usage of gas is deepened like in advanced countries beyond paying lip service. Payment of VAT on importation of gas should be removed totally.
“Government should make conscious efforts in ensuring that we produce more gas locally instead of importing to bring down the price,” Ilo said.
While reacting to the commissioning of the Gas Skid, the ruling king of the land, Elejirin of Ejirin, Oba Rafiu Ishola Babatunde Balogun expressed appreciation to the firm for bringing such huge development to Ejirin community.
The Elejirin of Ejirin recalled that he has spent millions of naira on projects in the past just to ensure Ejirin catches up with development but all to no avail.
In his address, the chairman of Ikosi-Ejirin Local Council Development Area, Akogun Wale Raji Anomo noted that Ejirin is not just a common town, as there are numerous opportunities in Ejirin, saying Ejirin has been a commercial hub.
