The Federal Government has restated its commitment to transforming Nigeria’s South-South region into a regional centre for commercial gas utilisation, citing its abundant reserves, infrastructural capacity, favourable investment climate, and supportive local stakeholders.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, made this known on Wednesday during his address at the South-South Gas Utilisation Forum 2025 held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
“Our vision must be clear: to turn gas into jobs, gas into power, gas into industries, and ultimately, gas into prosperity for our people,” Ekpo stated.
He said this would involve attracting investments into gas-based industries such as petrochemicals, fertilisers, modular refineries, and compressed natural gas (CNG) for transport, while also developing reliable gas infrastructure to connect supply and demand centres. He stressed the importance of training young people to seize opportunities emerging in Nigeria’s evolving gas economy.
Ekpo noted that the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021 had further strengthened the role of the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN), offering a solid legal and regulatory foundation to ensure the domestic gas market remains commercially viable and socially beneficial.
He further emphasised the importance of the PIA in redefining Nigeria’s oil and gas framework by fostering inclusive growth, environmental responsibility, and host community participation. He cited the establishment of the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) as a key feature, designed to ensure that host communities directly benefit from petroleum operations through the allocation of 3% of operating companies’ actual annual expenditure for social infrastructure, education, health services, and economic empowerment.
“This framework allows communities to be part of the development process, not as bystanders but as stakeholders. It is a shift from corporate charity to shared developmental purpose,” the Minister said.
He praised the GACN for its role since 2010 as the Federal Government’s strategic aggregator under the National Domestic Gas Supply and Pricing Regulations, especially for ensuring gas availability and equitable distribution within the domestic market.
“This is not merely a South-South priority. It is a national imperative,” Ekpo asserted. “Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Government has declared the Decade of Gas and is fully committed to establishing Nigeria as a gas-powered economy.”
He added that the efforts in Akwa Ibom and across the South-South region should serve as a blueprint for national energy development and urged participants to approach the forum with ambition and collective resolve.
Also speaking at the event, Managing Director and CEO of GACN, Mr Chijioke Uzoho, reaffirmed the company’s readiness to collaborate with stakeholders to unlock the potential of gas commercialisation in the region.
According to Uzoho, the South-South has the capacity to anchor Nigeria’s economic transformation, but tangible progress will require meaningful partnerships between the public and private sectors, as well as between federal and subnational governments.
He reiterated GACN’s dedication to playing a central role in driving this agenda forward.
In his remarks, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, represented by Deputy Governor Senator Akon Eyakenyi, noted that the summit had deepened the state’s appreciation of gas development prospects in the region. He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to policy alignment, resource management, and creating an enabling environment for investment.
Governor Eno stressed that the gas sector, if fully leveraged, could become a “catalyst for industrialisation, environmental innovation, and inclusive prosperity for our people.” He assured investors of the state government’s readiness to uphold environmental standards and ensure community-focused development.
Also addressing the gathering, the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energies at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Olalekan Ogunleye, disclosed that gas-related projects valued at over $3.5 billion are ongoing in the region. These include offshore and intracountry pipelines, a methanol plant, a fertiliser plant, and a floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility.
The South-South Gas Utilisation Forum is being attended by regional governors, federal officials, and leading stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
