President Bola Tinubu has commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Sahara Group for their dedication to expanding Africa’s position within the global clean energy value chain.

The President’s commendation came during Monday’s unveiling of WAGL Energy Limited’s new 40,000 cubic metre Liquefied Petroleum Gas vessel, ‘MT Iyaloja (Lagos)’, in Ulsan, South Korea.

Represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, Tinubu stated that Nigeria is poised to deliver clean and sustainable energy solutions domestically and across Africa.

In a statement on Monday, both NNPC and Sahara Group described the ‘MT Iyaloja Lagos’ as a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier owned by WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between the two firms.

The new vessel, it was learnt, brings WAGL’s total LPG fleet capacity to 162,000 CBM, joining existing vessels—MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.

With the new vessel, Tinubu said Nigeria is poised to deliver clean and sustainable energy solutions not just in-country but also across Africa and beyond. The President commended the two organisations for their “strategic foresight, technical excellence, and unwavering dedication to expanding Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.

“The commissioning also underscores Sahara Group’s commitment to transforming Africa’s energy landscape through investments in LPG storage and distribution infrastructure to tackle energy access, affordability, and security in Africa.

In his remarks, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, noted that WAGL’s LPG vessel is a great addition to the gas development programme in Nigeria. The GCEO, who was represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Mr Olalekan Ogunleye, further said that the vessel would be crucial in realising the impact of gas in Nigeria’s economic development.

According to him, NNPC is deepening its commitment to ensuring 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 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.

Speaking, WAGL’s Chairman and Executive Director, 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.

“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.

WAGL’s Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello, stated 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,” he added.

The ribbon cutting of MT Iyaloja (Lagos), named in honour of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, the late mother of President Tinubu, was done by her granddaughter, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Folasade Tinubu-Ojo.