Potential boom in Nigeria's gas export as Turkey, Libya, others demand more supply

The Federal Government has revealed that Turkey and Libya have joined the growing roster of foreign nations expressing interest in procuring Nigeria’s natural gas.

Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, had earlier claimed that the country’s gas deposit is the highest in Africa.

Admitting the surge in demand for Nigerian gas, the government expressed concerns about the insufficient infrastructure necessary for transporting the commodity out of Nigeria.

Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, announced this during the second edition of the Domestic Gas Summit, organized by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Aduda underscored the government’s limitations in furnishing the required infrastructure and encouraged private sector stakeholders attending the summit to embrace this challenge, assuring them of the necessary government support.

Aduda said:

“I want to assure you that the government is ready to do business. People are calling us every day demanding for gas. The energy minister for Turkey has called me more than 10 times, and I’m not exaggerating, that they need natural gas.

“Libyans have been here, and as I speak to you today they’ve forwarded an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to me that they just want gas in Libya and they want Nigerian gas.

He pointed out that Nigeria possesses over 208 trillion cubic feet of gas, highlighting that other gas-abundant countries, such as Algeria and Europe, have been actively striving to rival Nigeria in gas supply.

The permanent secretary also conveyed to the audience that the government is actively working to eliminate all obstacles to create an appealing environment where both investors and the country can prosper, resulting in the delivery of power to our citizens.

The annual event is centred on advancing local content, nurturing a favourable business environment through government collaborations, and conducting seminars and workshops to ensure that the advantages of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry reach all corners of the nation.

The CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Gbenga Komolafe, Nigeria’s gas, which accounts for 33% of the total gas reserves in Africa, could last for about 94 years.