Bennett Oghifo
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), working with authorities and {industry} stakeholders, has introduced the launch of the National Cylinder Recirculation Programme (NCRP), a nationwide initiative designed to rework the security, identification, administration and recirculation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders whereas supporting Nigeria’s home gasoline growth, industrialisation and clear vitality transition goals.
Announced at a press convention held at SON’s Operational Headquarters in Lagos on Friday, 23 October 2026, the programme introduces a coordinated framework for cylinder registration, inspection, requalification, digital monitoring and protected recirculation, addressing longstanding security considerations arising from expired, broken, uncertified and improperly maintained cylinders.
Beyond shopper security, the NCRP offers a strategic platform for advancing the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas agenda and wider financial improvement priorities. By strengthening the infrastructure required for protected LPG adoption, the programme is anticipated to stimulate home cylinder manufacturing, broaden requalification capability, entice non-public funding, create employment alternatives and assist enterprise improvement throughout the gasoline distribution worth chain.
Speaking on the initiative, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SON, acknowledged that: “Safe and reliable LPG use depends on more than access to gas. It requires strict adherence to cylinder quality standards, responsible handling and effective lifecycle tracking across the supply chain. Through the NCRP, we are unifying statutory quality control with digital traceability to protect Nigerian lives and property while building consumer trust in clean energy.”
At the center of the programme is the digital Cylinder Recirculation Management System, which assigns distinctive digital identities to cylinders and permits the monitoring of key lifecycle actions, together with registration, inspection, requalification, filling, distribution and alternate.
Under the recirculation framework, current cylinders getting into the system bear evaluation at Authorised Requalification Facilities (ARFs). Cylinders that meet the prescribed security requirements are accredited for continued circulation, whereas people who fail the required checks are withheld for acceptable corrective motion or disposal.
Participating customers shall be ready to alternate current cylinders by way of accredited retailers, with collected cylinders transferred for inspection and requalification. This strategy is meant to progressively change unsafe cylinders in circulation whereas making entry to compliant cylinders extra handy.
The NCRP aligns with the Federal Government’s ambition to deepen home gasoline utilisation, strengthen native manufacturing, encourage private-sector participation and broaden entry to cleaner family cooking.
By creating demand for compliant cylinders, inspection companies, requalification amenities, logistics and distribution infrastructure, the initiative is positioned to open new alternatives for Nigerian companies, traders and expert staff.
Dr Bekeme Olowola, NCR Programme Director and Managing Director, FuelTree, emphasised the programme’s wider nationwide significance: “The NCRP is about much more than putting QR codes on gas cylinders. We are building a national system that makes cylinder safety verifiable, supports the expansion of domestic LPG consumption and creates new opportunities for investment, enterprise development and job creation. By connecting regulators, manufacturers, marketers, retailers and requalification facilities through a common digital infrastructure, we are turning the Federal Government’s gas expansion and clean cooking ambitions into a practical, measurable programme that can also attract international climate finance.”
Femi Oye, Technologist, NCR, defined that the NCRP is actually: “A National Cylinder Registry that connects unique cylinder identity tags with real-time immutable lifecycle tracking. This digital infrastructure enables seamless monitoring of requalification cycles, inspection records and eventually carbon credit metrics as cylinders move through the supply chain.”
The programme additionally helps Nigeria’s local weather commitments by facilitating the transition from conventional cooking fuels, together with firewood, charcoal and kerosene, in the direction of cleaner family vitality alternate options. Wider LPG adoption can contribute to decreasing family publicity to dangerous smoke, strain on forest assets and sure emissions related to conventional cooking practices.
Importantly, the digital infrastructure will assist the gathering of knowledge required to measure and confirm eligible environmental advantages. Subject to relevant carbon market methodologies, impartial verification and regulatory approvals, the programme might generate carbon credit and entice local weather finance to subsidise cylinder entry, enhance affordability for weak households and speed up clear cooking adoption.
This strategy connects Nigeria’s vitality transition goals with a doubtlessly sustainable financing mechanism for increasing family vitality entry.
The programme is participating LPG entrepreneurs, cylinder producers, retailers, filling vegetation, requalification amenities, know-how suppliers and distribution operators to set up an built-in nationwide recirculation system.
Better Gas is among the many already taking part business operators, bringing expertise in cylinder alternate and last-mile distribution by way of its micro-distribution community.
Gbolahan Obanikoro, Chief Executive Officer of Better Gas, famous: Ensuring last-mile entry requires dependable provide logistics and powerful retail partnerships. Better Gas is already aligned with the goals of the NCRP by way of our cylinder-swapping mannequin and micro-distribution centres throughout Abuja. The programme additionally presents a chance to assist cylinder requalification and broaden the supply of protected cylinders available in the market.
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has equally emphasised the pressing want to take away out of date cylinders from circulation, highlighting the significance of industry-wide collaboration in strengthening security requirements, with Mr Bassey Essien, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), highlighting the necessity to take away expired cylinders from circulation, noting: “There are many types of cylinders in circulation, and to be frank, some are long overdue for withdrawal. I still have a cylinder in my secretariat that is 60 years old, which I have kept as a specimen. Cylinders have a lifespan, and once they exceed it, they should be removed from circulation.”
The NCRP’s regulatory and coverage framework attracts on the SON Act No. 14 of 2015 and related authorities directives regarding cylinder security, high quality assurance and traceability. Its implementation additionally helps coverage goals related to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas), the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Decade of Gas Secretariat.
Following the Lagos press convention, the NCRP will proceed with stakeholder onboarding, digital registry integration and phased implementation actions throughout Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The programme’s nationwide unveiling is scheduled for 28–29 October 2026 in Abuja, alongside the Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum 2026, offering a chance to deepen engagement with policymakers, {industry} operators and potential implementation companions.
An worldwide presentation can be deliberate throughout the thirty first United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), going down from 9–20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, within the Nigerian Pavilion of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC). This will present a platform to showcase Nigeria’s strategy to digitally enabled cylinder recirculation, clear cooking growth and the potential mobilisation of worldwide local weather finance.
Through the NCRP, Nigeria seeks to exhibit how stronger security governance, know-how, private-sector participation and climate-conscious funding can work collectively to create a safer, extra inclusive and economically productive home gasoline {industry}.
The National Cylinder Recirculation Programme is a nationwide initiative led by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria in partnership with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA) to strengthen LPG cylinder security, identification, requalification, traceability and recirculation. Supported by FuelTree’s vCRM digital infrastructure and {industry} participation, it seeks to advance protected home gasoline utilisation, clear cooking adoption, enterprise improvement and measurable environmental outcomes.
A nationwide strategic initiative led by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria in partnership with NMDPRA, NCCC, and key {industry} our bodies to rework LPG security, digital traceability, and clear cooking carbon attributes in Nigeria.
About the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON):
The apex statutory physique for standardisation, high quality assurance, and metrology in Nigeria, established below the SON Act No. 14 of 2015 to defend customers and promote product high quality.
Nigeria’s designated nationwide authority on local weather change coverage, worldwide local weather finance, carbon market regulation, and GHG mitigation below Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
