The Federal government has revealed that there are ongoing plans to ensure that only registered distributors of cooking gas would own gas cylinders in the country.
Until now, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) cylinders were freely owned by their users as soon as they have been purchased.
However, in a bid to increase its popularity among Nigerians, the Federal Government, through the office of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources on Downstream and Infrastructure has made provisions for the supply of 600,000 gas cylinders to major distributors.
While the distributors can get their stock on credit, the provision would also allow for a pre-payment plan, lasting up to 18 months.
While revealing the new plans with some stakeholders in Abuja, a senior technical assistant in the ministry, Brenda Ataja, explained that the ownership of the units will be given strictly to dealers and distributors.
Also, Brenda stated that the policy would help in putting some safety measures in place as there are plans to eradicate roadside LPG dealers. Hence, it was best for serious distributors to rebrand themselves into micro distribution centers.
Brenda continued, “There is no need for you to decant for anybody that comes in, and that eliminates illegal risks as well. You would fill them at the refill plants that would be tied to you and exchange it with your customers because you know your customers already.
“Your customers pay for only the content, while you own the cylinders and control the management of those cylinders.”
Speaking on the policy, she iterated, “It is for us to be able to, at any point in time, discern and discover cylinders that are bad, cylinders that need recertification and cylinders that need to be removed from circulation.
“We put that onus on distributors going forward, to support the safe and standard method of selling LPG. I tell you today that Nigeria is the only country in West Africa that does not practice the re-circulation model. Everyone has moved away from this because again, most of the population cannot afford cylinders; so, you have to remove that cost from them.”
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