By Bassey Udo
Nigeria has the responsibility to utilise
its abundant gas resources to power Africa’s rise and contribute meaningfully to global stability, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has said.
Addressing delegates and participants at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026 in Abuja, on Tuesday, Ojulari said as an emerging global energy powerhouse, “Nigeria’s pathway to a prosperous future lies in our collective ability to leverage our resource abundance, especially as gas sits at the heart of our strategy.
“Gas is our bridge to a cleaner future, our engine for industrialization, and our foundation for export-led growth”.
Describing what he termed as Africa’s energy trilemma, Ojulari said though the African continent was endowed with vast energy resources, it still grapples with issues of accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, with over 600 million Africans living without access to electricity.
With 37 billion barrels of crude oil and 209 trillion standard cubic feet of gas reserves, he said Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd were ready to lead the charge in changing the current narrative.
“With over 600 million Africans still lacking electricity, the continent’s priority cannot be a copy and paste. Ours must be a just, equitable, people-centered energy additions, one that lifts our people out of poverty, powers industries, supports agriculture, transforms transportation, and unleashes the creativity of Africa’s youth”, he stated.
Ojulari said the NNPC Ltd was not just a commercial entity, but also a peace and prosperity enabler in Nigeria in particular, and Africa at large.
On steps being taken to enhance access to gas as the primary fuel for driving industrialization and economic growth, the GCEO announced the launching of a new Gas Masterplan by the NNPC Ltd, while aggressively progressing strategic gas infrastructure projects such as the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3), Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipelines, and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) expansion.
“These projects are more than pipelines. They are commercial highways for economic opportunities in the economy”, he explained.
