President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and Sahara Group for their commitment to strengthening Africa’s role in the global clean energy market. The commendation came during the unveiling of a new Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), in Ulsan, South Korea on Monday.
The vessel, which has a storage capacity of 40,000 cubic metres, was built for WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between NNPC and Sahara Group. The company said the new ship is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier that will support Africa’s growing demand for clean energy.
President Tinubu, represented at the event by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said Nigeria is now better positioned to deliver clean and sustainable energy solutions both locally and across Africa. He commended the two companies for what he described as their “strategic foresight, technical excellence, and dedication to expanding Africa’s clean energy footprint globally.”
According to him, the launch of the vessel is not only a boost to Nigeria’s gas expansion programme but also proof that the country is ready to play a leading role in global energy transition. He added that the development would help to increase access to affordable and reliable LPG, which is a key part of Nigeria’s plan to reduce dependence on firewood and kerosene.
The addition of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) has increased WAGL Energy’s fleet capacity to 162,000 cubic metres. The company already operates four other LPG vessels: MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet. Officials say this fleet has helped deliver more than 6 million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa in the last five years.
Speaking at the event, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari, who was represented by the Executive Vice President for Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, described the vessel as an important step in Nigeria’s gas utilisation programme. He explained that the ship would support NNPC’s goal of ensuring LPG availability, affordability, and nationwide access.
Ojulari noted that as a shareholder in WAGL Energy, NNPC is proud to be part of the growth story of an indigenous company that is building infrastructure to reduce energy poverty in Africa. He said the company’s efforts align with the government’s Decade of Gas policy, which aims to boost Nigeria’s domestic use of gas and also expand exports.
WAGL’s Chairman and Sahara Group Executive Director, Temitope Shonubi, also spoke at the event. He said the unveiling of the vessel was another step towards bridging Africa’s energy infrastructure gap. Shonubi added that the ship was named MT Iyaloja (Lagos) in honour of the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, the mother of President Tinubu, who served as a market leader and community builder during her lifetime.
“The addition of this vessel represents the spirit of progress and empowerment that Alhaja Mogaji stood for. Sahara Group is proud of our partnership with NNPC and we will continue to invest in projects that expand access to energy across Africa,” Shonubi said.
The Managing Director of WAGL Energy, Mohammed Bello, announced that the company plans to expand its fleet in the next two years by adding a small gas carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC). He said this would help WAGL to build an integrated supply network across the energy value chain and further strengthen Africa’s participation in the LPG market.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for MT Iyaloja (Lagos) was performed by the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, who is the granddaughter of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji. The event highlighted both a technical achievement and a cultural honour as it linked Nigeria’s energy advancement to the legacy of a prominent national figure.
With the commissioning of this new vessel, stakeholders believe Nigeria and Africa will play a stronger role in the global push for cleaner energy. The investment in LPG infrastructure is also expected to reduce household energy costs, improve supply stability, and create jobs in the sector.
