The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has called on Nigeria’s top gas-producing companies to increase daily output by one billion standard cubic feet (BCF) every year from 2025 to 2030.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the NNPC Towers in Abuja on Monday, Ekpo emphasized that the ramp-up is crucial to meet the Federal Government’s gas production target of 12BCF per day by 2030, up from the current 7.3BCF.“We need to grow natural gas production by at least 1 BCF annually till 2030,” Ekpo said.
“Nigeria must emerge among the top 10 natural gas-consuming nations by 2030.”According to a statement by his spokesperson, Louis Ibah, the minister urged companies to speed up drilling operations and complete key gas processing and evacuation infrastructure projects.
He pointed to recent oil company divestments as an opportunity to “modernise existing facilities and deploy innovative extraction and processing technologies.”
Ekpo also commended the NNPC/TotalEnergies joint venture for ending routine gas flaring and called on other operators to follow suit, stressing the need to “convert flared gas to wealth for the nation.”
On infrastructure, he highlighted the AKK and OB-3 pipeline projects as vital for linking gas resources to domestic and industrial users. “These projects are critical,” he noted, adding that collaboration with global stakeholders is key to ensuring timely delivery.
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, assured investors of a supportive environment, revealing that dedicated gas assets will feature in upcoming bid rounds.
Hadiza Usman, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination—represented by Esege Esege—stated that President Bola Tinubu is committed to seeing the gas sector realize its full potential.
NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, said the company is “working across the gas value chain” and confirmed that AKK and OB-3 pipelines are 78% and 97% complete, respectively.
The meeting, attended by executives from Shell, Seplat Energy, Renaissance Energy, TotalEnergies, and others, ended with a united commitment to unlocking Nigeria’s vast natural gas potential.
