By Faridat Salifu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, August 18, 2025, commissioned a 40,000 cubic meters (CBM) Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel, christened “MT Iyaloja (Lagos),” in Ulsan, South Korea, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to delivering clean and sustainable energy solutions locally and across Africa.
The vessel, owned by WAGL Energy Limited (an NNPC Ltd./Sahara Group Joint Venture), is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier. This latest addition brings WAGL’s total LPG vessel capacity to 162,000 CBM. Other vessels in the fleet include MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, the President commended WAGL Energy Limited, NNPC Limited, and Sahara Group for their strategic foresight, technical excellence, and unwavering dedication to expanding Africa’s role in the global clean energy value chain.
Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Bayo Ojulari, described WAGL’s LPG vessel as a major boost to gas development efforts in Nigeria. Represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, the GCEO said the vessel would play a key role in deepening gas penetration and affordability across the country.
“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 MT of LPG across West Africa over the last five years,” Ojulari 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 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,” Shonubi added.
WAGL’s Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Sani Bello, said the company is focused on expanding its integrated supply network across the energy value chain, adding that plans are already in place to add a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) within the next two years.
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 granddaughter, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Folasade Mujidat Tinubu-Ojo.
