The Nasarawa state Governor Engr. Abdullahi Sule has laid the foundation for the establishment of a Liquefied Natural Gas(LNG) and Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas(LCNG) facility in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.

The two million US Dollars investment which is spearheaded by Greenville LNG is the first of its kind in the North Central region of the country which has 23 metric tonnes capacity of LNG and 1,500 Standard Cubic Metres of LCNG.

During the groundbreaking ceremony of the project Wednesday in Lafia, Governor Abdullahi Sule expressed satisfaction with the project which he said is in line with his dream for a prosperous and economically developed state.

He noted that ‘Nigeria is a gas-endowed state that has oil’ giving statistics that Nigeria has a reserve of about 40 billion barrels of fuel but has over 200 trillion of gas which was hitherto flared.

The governor who has an oil and gas background of over three decades added that his dream is to see a Nasarawa where even motorcycles which are a major transport component in the state become gas-powered as the state is committed to ushering in cleaner sources of energy.

He further said, ‘We had a summit that attracted companies like Greenville to come in and see the opportunities that we have in Nasarawa State. We have various agencies and we have what we call the ‘Ease of Doing Business Policy’ for these various MDAs to come together to understand that to attract investment you need to be able to provide the environment.

In his remarks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim. A. Abdullah said the project will be a springboard to attract other businesses as it fits into the industrialization agenda of the Nasarawa state Government.

At the front of facilitating the actualization of the project, he said, ‘Nigeria is a gas-producing country distracted by oil production. Today, with the groundbreaking of this facility, you are ushering in the development of a major facility that will help in promoting clean energy and add up to Nigeria’s quest for a just energy transition’.

The Managing Director of Greenville LNG, Ritu Sahajwalla who was represented by its Director of Administration, Joseph Oyadoyin noted that the project will further crystalize the industrialization drive of Governor Abdullahi Sule which is anchored on economic growth and development.

‘Our project will bring numerous benefits to the host community, starting with the creation of employment opportunities. We understand the importance of job creation and economic empowerment, and we have tried to contribute to the further crystallization of investments in this area,’ he said.

Oyadoyin disclosed that upon completion of the project in Lafia, the company will establish another one in Karu local government area as the project is intended to introduce the use of LNG and LCNG for heavy-duty trucks as well as smaller vehicles such as automobiles and Keke NAPEP in the state and the north-central region as fuel prices have since skyrocketed after the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29.

The ceremony also marked the official handover of the CoFO for the project which was facilitated by the State’s one-stop shop, the Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency(NASIDA), after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nasarawa state Government and Greenville LNG in November last year.

The partnership between the government and Greenville LNG aims to provide a virtual gas supply for businesses and individuals in Nasarawa State and by extension the North Central region of the country.

The project, both partners assured is poised to revolutionize the transportation industry in Nasarawa State by addressing fuel shortages and enhancing gas usage and distribution within the state and the entire region.

With a stance to promote the acceptance and usage of cleaner energy in the state and the North Central region, the project they further disclosed will provide an alternative fuel for diesel-operated vehicles, resulting in up to 25% savings on running costs and also provide opportunities for investors and local businesses in Nasarawa State’s industrial and auto-gas sectors.