By Precious Mark
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to migrate five million Nigerian households from firewood and kerosene to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as part of its carbon emission reduction strategy.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a high-level panel at the 25th annual NOG Energy Week in Abuja.
Zimbabwean energy delegates were also at the session to understudy Nigeria’s gas expansion models and decades of oil and gas experience.
The panel, moderated by Gavin Thompson, Vice Chair of Energy, EMEA, at Wood Mackenzie, also featured the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and Zimbabwe’s Minister of Energy and Power Development, July G. Moyo.
Speaking on Nigeria’s gas-led transition, Mr. Ekpo said natural gas remains the country’s primary pathway.
“For Nigeria, natural gas is our transition pathway. Today, gas is actively competing with oil,” he stated, citing recent supply agreements anchored by NNPC Limited.
He said daily domestic gas utilization has risen under the Tinubu administration from 1.2 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day to 2.1 bcf per day.
“We are very intentional about using gas to serve Nigerians first, before exporting outside the continent,” the minister said.
He noted that 70% of Nigeria’s power generation currently relies on gas, with priority allocation going to power plants and fertilizer production.
Despite the domestic focus, Mr. Ekpo said Nigeria remains committed to regional energy security through ongoing gas supplies to Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic, and the planned Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline.
On investments, Senator Lokpobiri said government has rolled out fiscal incentives and Executive Orders to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Capital goes to where there is peace and competitive returns,” he said.
“Nigeria has prepared itself. We are making ourselves globally competitive to attract the needed capital inflows.”
On his part, Mr. Moyo said Zimbabwe is studying Nigeria’s oil and gas structure as it prepares for commercial production.
“Oil and gas are critical to our future. The Zimbabwean press frequently highlights the necessity of learning from Nigeria,” he said.
“We have initiated agreements and we are almost ready to go into production.”
He added that Zimbabwe’s energy sector grew by 8.8% last year, driven by mining.
“Our Vision 2030 is centered on expanding our energy sector because it is the engine of economic growth, not just for Zimbabwe, but for the entire Southern African region.”