As Nigeria races to hit 12 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas per day by 2030, the Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Chief Ed Ubong has said Nigeria must prioritize affordability for households and move cooking gas toward a fully commercial, unregulated market.
Speaking as a panelist at the ongoing 2026 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Week in Abuja on Tuesday, Ubong told industry leaders that while production and reserves are growing, the true test will be whether gas translates into electricity and affordable LPG for ordinary Nigerians.
“It is always a pleasure to have a panel that not only focuses on Nigeria but also looks across the wider region,” Ubong said.
According to work done by the Decade of Gas Secretariat with key stakeholders, gas demand is expected to grow to about 15 bcf per day between now and 2030, he said.
He noted that this outpaces current supply projections.
“For gas molecules to be secure, we must first step back and ask ourselves a fundamental question: Is there credible demand?”
“That growth is being driven by credible demand, which is split between domestic and export markets,” Ubong asked.
On exports, he noted that Nigeria’s gas supply is back to five-year highs, driven by significant work by the Renaissance Africa Energy Company, which has increased gas supply to Nigeria LNG (NLNG).
“Domestically, supply has crossed 2 bcf per day,” he said.
“Excellent work is being done by companies such as Seplat Energy and others. We are reaching new heights both in domestic supply and exports, and this progress is expected to continue,” he added.
Citing data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Ubong said Nigeria’s gas reserves have grown to about 215 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Year-to-date gas production stood at approximately 7.87 bcf per day as of the end of May.
Ubong further outlined three infrastructure priorities.
He commended the NNPC for successfully delivering 2 bcf per day safely, saying it shows the supply and demand sides of the market are increasingly connected.