Ekperikpe Ekpo, Nigeria’s minister of state for gas has said that he will work in collaboration with staff at the ministry of petroleum resources to harness the country’s vast natural gas deposits to reduce transportation costs for Nigerians.
He said this after resuming his duties at the ministry on Tuesday, August 22.
According to him, the time has come for the country to have a clear and concise agenda and robust implementation roadmap for the exploitation of Nigeria’s enormous, yet untapped gas resources.
He said:
- “The removal of fuel subsidy has placed the responsibility of providing a sustainable alternative to PMS on us in the ministry.
- “I am committed to ensuring that together, we would deliver on this wondrous task of building an economically viable and environmentally sustainable gas utilisation framework and developing infrastructure for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians.
- “Nigeria’s proven natural gas reserves bless the country as one of the nations with the greatest gas reserves globally.
- “It is certain that harnessing this would stimulate the domestic economy in addition to optimizing the domestic utilisation of gas, it would support hundreds of thousands of jobs within the local economy.
- “This comprehensive evaluation will lay the foundation for harnessing Nigeria’s gas industry potential, strengthening the entire gas value chain from exploration to distribution.”
Short-term goals
To Ekpo, the focus should be on how to ensure active exploration and exploitation of gas resources to solve the following problems in the short term:
1. Cutting transportation costs
2. Reducing food prices
3. Eradicating inflation
These objectives, once achieved, will improve the general well-being of Nigerians. It is important to note that prior to the appointment of ministers, President Tinubu came up with a plan to use compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol which has become more expensive with the removal of fuel subsidies and the recent rise of global crude prices.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the CNG rollout will be in phases.
The first phase will comprise 21 CNG stations which will support intra-city transportation and will be ready by the first quarter of 2024.
The second phase comprises 35 CNG stations that will support intercity transportation and be ready in 2024 also.
The first and second phases will be further complemented by the additional 56 stations to be deployed by NNPC Retail stations across the country.
Nipco Gas, the major NNPCL partner for the CNG rollout, is currently operating 14 CNG stations across Nigeria and has converted over 7,000 vehicles to run on CNG.
