Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State.
Governor David Nweze Umahi on Wednesday flagged off a two-day subnational Liquefied Petroleum Gas sensitization and awareness campaign for Ebonyi State.
According to a statement by Umahi's Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Chooks Okoh, the event was organized by the office of the Vice President, the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the LPG Expansion Implementation Plan (NLEIP), in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Government.
Flagging off the campaign at the State Executive Council Chambers, Ochoudo Centenary City Abakaliki, Governor Umahi congratulated the Vice-president for the successful launch of the Campaign at the National level.
Umahi, represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Kelechi Igwe, appreciated the Vice-President for domesticating the sensitization campaign in the States including Ebonyi.
"I, most Sincerely congratulate His Excellency, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo for successfully launching the National Awareness and Sensitization Campaign for the LPG Adoption at the national level and for extending the same to the various regions and states of the federation.
"I am immensely delighted that Ebonyi State has been included as one of the few states in Nigeria where the scheme is being piloted," he said.
Umahi expressed hope that the Programme would help reverse the mortality traceable to the use of fuel sources like firewoods and other carbon-emitting substances in the Country.
"According to the World Health Organization, about 2.4 billion people worldwide, representing about a third of the global population depend on toxic fuel for cooking. This has accounted for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year as of 2020. This includes about 237,000 children under the age of five.
"Furthermore, household pollution has been blamed for chronic heart diseases, including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
"In Nigeria, no fewer than 98,000 women die yearly due to toxic smoke oozing from firewood. This is the third greatest killer of women and children in Nigeria. Therefore, expanding the liquid petroleum gas to rural communities will be a game changer.
"Apart from providing clean cooking fuel for households, preventing avoidable deaths, and saving the earth through the reduction in environmental pollution, expansion of LPG is a panacea for boosting the Nigerian economy which is in urgent need of diversification and the creation of millions of jobs for our teaming youth population," he said.
He commended the timing of the sensitization assuring that the outcome would go a long way to improving the livelihood of Citizens of the State.
"The Nigerian gas sector has experienced a chequered history. The sector has emerged from a period in which over 70-80 % of its associated gas was flared or reinjected, with its concomitant effect on the environment, to the current dispensation in which about 63% of gas produced along with crude oil is being flared.
"While this represents an improvement, it is still a far cry from achieving the zero-flaring target, in keeping with global standards."
"Although the commodity has witnessed a decline of about 4% in 2020 due to the global pandemic, following growth of in 2019, it is expected to rebound to previous levels going forward," he said.
The Governor however expressed the readiness of the Ebonyi State Government to key into the campaign to save the ecosystem from further depletion.
"I have noted with keen interest, the expected outcome of the LPG expansion programme which generally bothers on improving the health of our people, massive creation of jobs, boosting the local economy and expanding our GDP through skills transfer, Ebonyi State is readily available to partner in this economic opportunity as we desire to advance our economy and improve the lives of our citizens," Umahi said.
