Seven young Nigerian engineering graduates have explained how they invented the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) stove which is expected to be inaugurated in December 2022.
The inventors spoke on Thursday, February 24 in Lagos when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid a working visit to the Nigeria office of Unicorn Group, a pan-African organisation targeting innovative ideas.
The seven young graduates had berth the first ever Nigeria LNG stove under the supervision of the Unicorn Group.
The young inventors are Taiwo Yussuf, Bukunola Bolajoko, Martins Omobude, Anjola Badaru, Toheeb Aleshinloye, Elijah Olasehinde and Edidiong Udoh.
Speaking after a presentation of the stove to the minister and other guests, Bolajoko, the only female among the seven inventors, said they took up the teething challenge of how Nigeria could better utilise its abundant natural gas deposit.
According to her, LNG in advanced countries is used for electricity generation and industrialisation while it is either being flared or exported for processing in Africa.
Bolajoko said they were worried with the ineffective method whereby LNG, which Nigeria has in abundance, is either flared or shipped abroad.
She said from exported LNG, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is used at home for cooking is exported and shipped back for sale in Nigeria at higher cost.
The female engineer said they were given the challenge to come up with an innovative design where LNG could be used directly for cooking.
She said after the meeting with Unicorn, it took them about five months to come up with a design suitable for the country.
Omobude, one of the inventors who explained how the stove works, said they came up with a simple design that is portable and easy to use.
He said the stove comprised of the storage system where the LNG is stored, and the re-gasification unit that converts the LNG to natural gas and the burner.
According to him, the stove has a special burner with a system that maximises the heat generated.
He explained that with the stove system one litre container of LNG would be equivalent to 600 litres of LPG.
Speaking on the advantages of the LNG stove over the LPG available presently in the country, Omobude said it would be readily available at lower cost and stable price.
According to him, the gas generated by the LNG stove is less risky because it is lighter than air and in case of leakage will dispense freely.
The young innovator said the stove system has lower carbon emission with better combustion because of its level of purity.
Dr Akintoye Akindele, the Chairman of Unicorn, said they assembled the youths to come up with the innovation because of the need to finance Nigeria’s gas asset and prevent flaring.
“The stove was designed in our incubation campus here in Lagos.
” We brought the young and talented engineers together from all over Nigeria and they worked collectively for about five months designing this.
“We gave them accommodation, they get allowances and they designed this which is the first if its kind in the country.
“We will present the prototype, we will then patent it, make it available all over Nigeria and export it first to African countries and to the world in general
“This is a product every Nigerian should be proud of and the inventors’ names will be inscribed inside the gas burners for life,” he said.
Akindele, who disclosed that 85 per cent of the production content was locally sourced, gave an assurance that it would be 100 per cent local content in a few years.
He also assured Nigerians that the stove would be inaugurated and made available in the market before the end of the year.
The minister, on his part, commended the young innovators and assured them and their sponsors of government support.
He also commended Unicorn for encouraging young Nigerians to become the world’s best innovators and helping them to make their dreams come true.
By Rotimi Ijikanmi
