SPENAICE 2025: Minister Upholds Gas as Nigeria’s Path to Energy Security

Nigeria’s gas revolution is gathering unprecedented momentum as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to deploy natural gas as the backbone of the country’s energy transition, economic security, and social stability.

Delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 48th Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Ph.D, outlined sweeping progress made in transforming Nigeria’s vast gas reserves into tangible gains for citizens and industries alike.

Minister Ekpo reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “From Gas to Prosperity” vision, placing gas at the heart of Nigeria’s energy and security strategy. He noted that expanding gas infrastructure and access is not just about economic diversification, but also about strengthening national security by reducing energy poverty, driving local job creation, and stabilising communities.

“Every gas offtaker currently receives the gas they require for their industrial processes,” Ekpo declared, signalling a break from years of chronic gas shortages that crippled factories and power plants.

Nigeria’s gas journey formally took off with the Decade of Gas Initiative launched in March 2021 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. That declaration, intended to shift Nigeria’s reliance away from oil towards cleaner, more sustainable gas, has since evolved into a national mission under Tinubu’s administration.

Today, Nigeria holds over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, the largest in Africa, but historically flared or exported the majority with limited domestic utilisation. The minister’s address at NAICE 2025 highlighted a new resolve to change that paradigm.

According to the address by the Minister, within the past year alone, Nigeria has:

• Expanded gas supply for manufacturing hubs and power generation, ensuring industrial resilience;
• Distributed LPG cylinders nationwide to promote clean cooking, targeting 5 million homes by 2030;
• Accelerated critical infrastructure projects like the OB3 and AKK pipelines to move gas from the Niger Delta and central gas basins to the north and other markets;
• Deployed mini-LNG and CNG stations across states, supporting cleaner transportation options and local economies;
• Facilitated public-private partnerships to create jobs across construction, logistics, and retail in the gas value chain.

Through the Midstream Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), financial support has also been extended to project promoters, helping them scale impactful projects faster.

Addressing the conference theme—“Building a Sustainable Energy Future: Leveraging Technology, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Policy”—Minister Ekpo detailed strategic efforts to integrate:

Technology: Embracing digital tools for reservoir monitoring, emissions reduction, and distribution optimisation.

Supply Chain: Strengthening local manufacturing and services through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to cut import dependence and foster resilience.

Human Resources: Investing in a skilled, diverse workforce through training and academic-industry partnerships, ensuring Nigerian youth and women are central to the gas economy.

Policy: Implementing key reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to ensure market-reflective pricing, incentivise investments, and secure domestic supply obligations.

Experts say Nigeria’s approach positions gas as a bridge fuel—delivering lower carbon emissions than oil or coal, while securing affordable energy to power industries and homes.

Beyond environmental benefits, gas development has significant security implications: reducing community restiveness by providing jobs, curbing blackouts that fuel discontent, and enabling industries that anchor local economies.

Ekpo called for deeper collaboration among government, industry professionals, investors, and global partners to fully realise Nigeria’s gas-driven transformation.

“Together, we can build a gas-powered energy future that drives prosperity, inclusiveness, and sustainability for generations to come,” he urged.

With critical pipelines advancing, LPG and CNG programmes expanding, and regulatory frameworks strengthening, analysts see Nigeria’s gas agenda as key to bridging its energy poverty gap, meeting climate commitments, and unlocking economic opportunities.

But stakeholders warn that sustaining this momentum will require policy stability, infrastructure security, and faster project execution to ensure that Nigeria’s gas truly works for Nigerians—at home first, before exports.

 

 

A.I