The Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) has restated its commitment to advance the role of Nigerian natural gas as the preferred energy source, while also serving as a platform for championing the development of the gas industry in the country.
Addressing members of the NGA at the association’s recent Business Forum and Annual General Meeting in Lagos, the President of the association, Mr. Saidu Mohammed said with the emergence of a private sector-driven power industry, the Nigerian gas sector has witnessed increased interest in the last few years.
“This follows the successful privatisation of public power assets by the federal government. With at least 70 per cent of Nigeria’s power generation facilities built to be gas-fired, the demand for gas for this new market is set to put gas in its rightful place as the core driver in the efforts to bridge the power supply deficit in Nigeria,” he said.
Mohammed, who recently moved from the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) to the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company as Managing Director, also stated that it was in this light that this year’s NGA Business Forum selected the theme “The Gas Sector in Enabling Change in the Power Industry.”
According to him, this discourse seeks to provide insights from both gas production and supply proponents and the consumers in the power sector.
“The association has come a long way in its quest to contribute to the development of Nigerian gas industry. We have been part of the evolution of a vibrant gas sector characterised by high energies in building consensus between the private and the public sectors in fashioning out Nigerian gas structural plan.
“The obvious challenge that faces the Nigerian gas industry is to ensure greater penetration of gas into other parts of Nigerian regional locations and to sustain gas use in such a way that gas viably displaces other fuels in the energy mix,” he explained.
Mohammed also pointed out that the task in the years to come would be how to find, develop, process, transport and distribute sufficient gas to power, industries and homes, such that gas is regarded by the average Nigerian as the energy source and feedstock of first choice.
He stated that the value chain for gas in Nigeria remains the same with other developing countries but the challenges inherent in the Nigerian chain are very enormous.
“We are giving you another NGA business forum series to share views on important and topical issues facing the Nigerian gas value chains and power industry growth and the choice. Like our previous for a, our lead speaker is articulate and knowledgeable in the field,” he added.
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