The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, has pledged to collaborate with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to accelerate grassroots development and capacity building in the country.
ALGON’s commitment was re-affirmated during the inauguration of Moses Nomeh, the Deputy National President, who took over as Chairman of the National Gas Expansion Programme, NGEP, in Abuja.
Nicolas Agbo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, conveyed the greetings of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, and highlighted the importance of the initiative in realizing the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Agbo stated that with the help of ALGON and other stakeholders, Nigerians are in a position to gain from the Gas Expansion Programme by using autogas conversion technology, human capital development, gas infrastructure, and other derivatives.
He emphasized the positive development of establishing a working group and introducing the National Gas Expansion Programme, which sets the tone for future successes.
“It has become necessary to engage with Local Government Areas to support the boosting of a one-megawatt power initiative across the 774 LGAs. We acknowledge the need to address the power gap cost-effectively and efficiently.
“This collaborative aspect of the initiative, involving ALGON and experienced stakeholders to assist in moving the project forward, will yield a positive result,” he said.
Reacting, Nomeh expressed his enthusiasm for the National Gas Expansion Programme, describing it as a low-hanging fruit and cash cow for job and wealth creation, poised to rapidly exit Nigeria from its economic woes, assuring that ALGON was ready to partner with the Ministry, creating necessary working synergies to achieve shared objectives.
He expressed gratitude to the Permanent Secretary for acknowledging the vital importance of Local Government Areas in establishing a relationship with the Ministry to bring effective gas expansion penetration to communities.
He implored the Nigerian population to rise to the challenges, assuring that ALGON would prioritize the agenda, study it, create need assessments that match the heterogeneous settings of LGAs, and construct capacity through community engagement.
“The collaborative efforts of the Ministry, ALGON and other stakeholders are set to establish business incubation centers for skilled manpower needs, delivering at the local government level, with all terms of reference and timelines aimed at presenting opportunities that will impact the project,” he said.
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