The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the Brass Gas Projects in Bayelsa State, describing the initiative as a key driver of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to make natural gas the backbone of Nigeria’s economic transformation and energy transition.
This was contained in a statement on Thursday signed by Mr Louis Ibah, Spokesman to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement reads partly: “The Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) remains fully committed to supporting the Brass Projects through policy facilitation, regulatory coordination, and stakeholder engagement. We are particularly focused on ensuring that the necessary frameworks, from gas supply and offtake agreements to licensing and infrastructure integration, are streamlined and bankable.
“The successful realisation of the Brass Projects will not only strengthen Nigeria’s gas industrialisation agenda but also deliver tangible benefits to the Niger Delta region in jobs, infrastructure, and community development. It will also position Nigeria more competitively in the global gas and petrochemical markets.
“The Brass Methanol Plant, Gas Processing Plant and the Brass Free Zone Infrastructure will collectively form the nucleus of the proposed Brass Oil and Gas City in Bayelsa State. The integrated complex will serve as a model for gas-based industrial development across the country.
“The workshop is timely as it will provide a common platform to align stakeholders’ perspectives, resolve pending issues, and chart a path toward financial close and execution.”
According to Dr Ekpo, the Brass Gas initiative forms part of the administration’s broader drive to industrialise Nigeria through gas utilisation and transform the sector into a sustainable pillar for economic growth.
He explained that the Federal Government, through his Ministry, would continue to provide all the necessary policy and regulatory support required to bring the projects to fruition, stressing that gas remains central to Nigeria’s industrial development agenda.
Ekpo commended the partnership between Brass Fertilizer & Petrochemical Company Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), Renaissance Joint Venture, Afreximbank, and other financiers for their sustained engagement, noting that such collaboration underscores the government’s commitment to public-private synergy in the gas sector.
He also urged participants at the All-Party Stakeholders Workshop on the Brass Projects to focus on actionable outcomes, define responsibilities, close existing gaps, and produce a clear roadmap toward achieving financial close and project take-off.
The Minister described the Brass Gas Projects as a landmark industrial development initiative that will open new opportunities in employment, infrastructure, and local manufacturing, especially across the Niger Delta.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemicals Company Limited, Chief Ben Okoye, applauded the Federal Government for its renewed commitment, explaining that the projects would deliver thousands of direct and indirect jobs, drive technology transfer, and stimulate ancillary industries.
Okoye noted that the Brass Methanol and Gas Processing Plants remain a “symbol of productive collaboration” between the government, private investors, and host communities, urging all parties to remain focused on achieving timely financial close and implementation.