President Bola Tinubu has praised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Sahara Group for their commitment to strengthening Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.
The commendation came on Monday at the unveiling of WAGL Energy Limited’s new 40,000-cubic-metre Liquefied Petroleum Gas vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos), in Ulsan, South Korea.
Speaking through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, Tinubu said Nigeria is positioning itself to deliver sustainable energy solutions at home and across the continent.
In a joint statement, NNPC and Sahara described the MT Iyaloja (Lagos) as a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier owned by WAGL Energy Limited, their joint venture.
The addition of MT Iyaloja (Lagos) raises WAGL’s total LPG fleet capacity to 162,000 cubic metres, joining its existing vessels — MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Tinubu noted that the expanded fleet underscores Nigeria’s readiness to deliver clean and sustainable energy solutions domestically, across Africa, and globally.
He lauded NNPC and Sahara Group for their “strategic foresight, technical excellence, and unwavering dedication to advancing Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.”
The commissioning also highlights Sahara Group’s drive to transform Africa’s energy landscape through sustained investments in LPG storage and distribution infrastructure, aimed at improving energy access, affordability, and security across the continent.
NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, described the new LPG vessel as a significant boost to Nigeria’s gas development programme.
Represented by Olalekan Ogunleye, Executive Vice President for Gas, Power & New Energy, Ojulari said the vessel will play a vital role in unlocking the economic potential of gas in Nigeria.
He added that NNPC remains committed to driving nationwide affordability, availability, and access to LPG. “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 other LPG vessels in its growing fleet, delivering over 6 million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa over the last 5 years,” he added.
Also speaking, WAGL’s Chairman and Sahara Group Executive Director, Temitope Shonubi, said the expansion reflects the company’s vision of responsibly advancing efforts to bridge Africa’s critical energy infrastructure gap.
“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,” he added.
In his remark, WAGL’s Managing Director, Mohammed Bello, said the company remains committed 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,” he added.
The vessel, MT Iyaloja (Lagos) — named in honour of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, the late mother of President Tinubu — was commissioned with a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by her granddaughter, Alhaja Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria.
