The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to transforming Nigeria into a gas-powered economy, declaring a decade dedicated to gas utilisation and emphasising the development of the South South region as a centre for commercial gas use.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, announced this during his remarks at the South-South Gas Utilisation Forum 2025, organised by Gas Aggregator Company Nigeria, with the theme: “Utilising Gas as a Catalyst for Sustainable Growth.”

The minister emphasised the benefits of a gas-powered economy and urged participants to see the workshop as a turning point where ideas are put into action.

He stated that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, the role of GACN has been further strengthened. The PIA provides a robust legal and regulatory framework to ensure that the domestic gas market is not only commercially viable but also socially beneficial.

Ekpo, who underscored the critical role of the PIA 2021 in providing significant support for host communities in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, stated it marked a shift towards inclusive development, environmental accountability, and community participation.

He said, “The task before us is clear. The opportunities are vast. The tools are in our hands. Let this workshop be a turning point, where ideas are not just discussed but implemented; where partnerships are not just promised but forged; and where we collectively commit to utilising gas as a true catalyst for sustainable growth in the South-South Region and Nigeria as a whole. Let us move boldly from gas potential to gas prosperity: To move from gas potential to industrial hubs and innovation centres; To turn gas revenue into tangible impact for our communities; And to ensure that the people of the South-South region, especially our host communities, are not left behind, but carried along every step of the way, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (2021).

“Also, the most notable feature is the creation of the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), which is intended to ensure that oil and gas host communities benefit directly from petroleum operations in their areas.

“This Trust ensures that funds contributed by operating companies—amounting to three per cent of their actual operating expenditure—are deployed for critical social infrastructure, education, health, and economic empowerment within the host communities.

“It provides for community participation in governance and guarantees that communities are no longer bystanders but co-owners in the development process.”

According to him, this aligns with a deeper collaboration between producers and host communities, not as a corporate responsibility, but as a shared developmental mission.

He commended GACN, saying that since its establishment in 2010 as the Federal Government’s Strategic Aggregator under the National Domestic Gas Supply and Pricing Regulations, the company has played a crucial role in ensuring the availability and equitable distribution of gas to the domestic market.

The minister stressed that the issue is not just a South-South agenda, but a national imperative, emphasising that the Federal Government, under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has declared the Decade of Gas and is committed to making Nigeria a gas-powered economy.

“What we do here in Akwa Ibom and the wider South-South region must serve as a model for other parts of the country. Let us therefore approach this engagement with ambition, innovation, and unity of purpose.

“The opportunities are vast. The tools are in our hands,” he said.

He urged the people to “move boldly from gas potential to gas prosperity. To move from gas potential to industrial hubs and innovation centres, and to turn gas revenue into a tangible impact for our communities.”

The minister emphasised that steps must be taken to ensure that the people of the South-South region, especially “our host communities, are not left behind, but carried along every step of the way, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (2021).”

In his welcome remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Gas Aggregator Company Nigeria, Mr. Chijioke Uzoho, expressed commitment to partner with all stakeholders to ‘unlock the potential of gas commercialisation in the South-South region.”

He said the South-South region has the potential to be the driving force behind Nigeria’s economic transformation, adding that real progress will come from effective partnerships between public and private sector actors, as well as between the federal government and sub-national governments.

Uzoho restated the resolve of Gas Aggregator Company Nigeria to “partner with all stakeholders to unlock the gas commercialisation in the region.”

In his remarks, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Ayakenyi, said the submit has not only deepened government’s understanding of the immense opportunities in the gas development across the South South region but has reinforced its shared commitment to collaborate actions, sound policy alignment and sustainable resource management.

Eno said that state government remains resolute in its belief that the gas sector if properly harnessee can serve as a “catalyst for industrialisation, environmental innovations and inclusive prosperity for our people,” adding that the state government is committed to doing its part by creating and enabling environment for investment and ensuring strict adherence to environmental standards and community benefits framework.

In a brief remark, Olalekan Ogunleye, Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energies at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company limited identified investment worth $3.5b in the region which he said was in mixed offshore gas pipeline, intracountry pipeline, methanol plant and fertilizer plant as well as a floating Liquified Natural Gas plant in the region.

The South South gas utilisation is being attended by governors of the region and key players in the oil and gas industry of the nation’s economy.