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 in the country.

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, Asaba.

Okowa who was represented by his Chief Economic Adviser, Dr Kingsley Emu, 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 said, “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.

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“Delta is 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.

“However, as we adopt LPG as the fuel to drive the socioeconomic 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 the 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.

“It is imperative that policy makers find a way to mitigate this upward trend in the price of LPG to give succour to our people and if the goals of the LPG expansion plan are to be realised.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on LPG, Mr Dayo Adesina, said Delta State was strategic to the National LPG Expansion plan in view of its contributions to oil and gas development in the country.

He said the Federal Government would procure 10 million gas cylinders to marketers for onward distribution to end users which would be exchanged from various homes.