From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has immortalised his late mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, with the commissioning of a 40,000 cubic metre Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) carrier named MT Iyaloja (Lagos) in Ulsan, South Korea.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) management on Monday.
According to the statement, the vessel, owned by WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between NNPC Limited and Sahara Group, is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier.
Its addition brings WAGL’s fleet capacity to 162,000 CBM, including MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK and MT Sapet.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, commended NNPC Ltd. and Sahara Group for their role in deepening Africa’s participation in the global clean energy value chain.
In his remarks, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Ojulari, described WAGL’s LPG Vessel as a great addition to gas development efforts in Nigeria.
The GCEO, who was represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, added that the vessel will be crucial in realising the impact of gas in Nigeria’s economic development.
According to him, NNPC Ltd. is deepening its commitment to ensure LPG affordability, availability and access, nationwide.
“NNPC Ltd. is proud to be a major shareholder in this indigenous Company which in addition to the newly commissioned MT Iyaloja (Lagos), owns four (4) other LPG vessels in its growing fleet, delivering over 6 million MT of LPG across West Africa over the last 5 years,” he said.
Also speaking, WAGL’s Chairman/Executive Director at Sahara Group, Mr. Temitope Shonubi, noted that the company’s expansion demonstrates its vision of responsibly driving efforts aimed at bridging the continent’s critical energy infrastructure gap.
According to him, “The addition of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) embodies the spirit of progress and empowerment championed by the iconic Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, whose legacy we honour. Sahara Group is proud of its partnership with NNPC Ltd. and reaffirms its commitment to partnerships that drive energy access in Africa.”
WAGL’s Managing Director, Mohammed Bello stressed that the company is dedicated to expanding its integrated supply network across the entire energy value chain.
“WAGL already has plans to further expand the fleet within the next two years with the addition of a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC),” he stated.
The statement added: “The symbolic ribbon cutting of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) named in honour of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, MFR, (the late mother of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu), was performed by her grand-daughter, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Folasade Mujidat Tinubu-Ojo.”
