By Eyo Nsima
The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), has disclosed that over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s over 200 million population suffer from energy poverty.
The Managing Director of NLNG Limited, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, disclosed this at the ongoing Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES), in Abuja.
He urged the next civilian administration to follow the plans laid out in the ‘Decade of Gas’ policy put in place by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, adding that Nigeria was blessed with many resources, especially natural gas.
He said: “We need to move at a faster rate than we currently do. Other LNG nations are moving faster than us. Qatar is doing a lot. They do not have the kind of human resources that we have. We should do more because we have the people with the right skill set and commercial gas reserves.
“It takes much longer time for us to plan, get approval, and execute our plans. There is nothing wrong with Nigeria’s ‘Decade of Gas Policy’. It is good. The next civilian administration should not think of coming out with another. What we need is consistent execution.
“Nigeria’s population is growing, one of the fastest in the world and its energy demand is also growing and we expect in the next 30 years that energy demand will grow by at least 50 percent. Today 60 percent of Nigerians are living in energy poverty and that is in a country that has one of the biggest natural resources of oil and gas on the continent.
“About 400,000 people, mostly women, die every year from exposure to indoor air pollution because they are using wood, charcoal, and other forms of cooking fuels in a country that is abundantly blessed.”
Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Simbi Wabote urged regulatory agencies in the industry to see themselves as business enablers rather than positions of power.
He expressed optimism that the gas policy and institutions put in place by the current government would be continued by the incoming administration, adding that the process is not “a sprint but a marathon”.
Also speaking, NNPC Limited noted that Nigeria’s huge gas reserves present huge investment opportunities to investors.
The Group CEO, NNPC Limited, Mele Kayri, said the country has embarked on several gas development and transportation infrastructure which investors could key into.
The Managing Director, Managing Director, Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company Limited, Engr. Seyi Omotowa, Kyari also disclosed that the company would continue to support the government’s effort aimed at growing the gas sector.
