Stakeholders in Nigeria’s gas distribution sector have reiterated the need for deeper collaboration to unlock the nation’s gas capabilities.
They emphasised the importance of prioritising partnerships aimed at enhancing infrastructure, improving regulatory frameworks, and promoting commercially viable developments.
This call was made at the inaugural Business Forum of the Association of Local Distributors of Gas (ALDG). The event, themed, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Gas Distribution Value Chain: Challenges, Innovations, and the Path Forward,” brought together key actors in the gas industry and was supported by sponsors such as Axxela, Shell Nigeria Gas, Falcon Corporation Limited, Tetracore Energy Group, Powergas Nigeria, Entec Power and Utilities Company Limited, GasHub Nigeria Limited, Gascomarine Limited, Junaid Energy Limited, Highland LNG, A4E Energy Limited, PTDF and Layer3.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of ALDG and Managing Director of Axxela Gas Distribution, Mr Kehinde Alabi, stressed the urgent need to harness Nigeria’s gas resources.
“The question is no longer if gas matters, but how we unlock its full potential,” he said.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who was represented by his Technical Adviser (Downstream), Dr Abel Igheghe, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to gas development.
He acknowledged the role of local distributors in boosting energy access and employment, assuring stakeholders of continued policy backing.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, also raised concern over low domestic gas utilisation.
She noted that only 30 per cent of Nigeria’s produced gas currently serves the local market, stressing the need for interventions to reverse the trend.
The Authority Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, represented by the Executive Director, OgbugoUkoha, highlighted the regulator’s role in driving industrialisation and energy security through reliable gas supply, efficient infrastructure and competitive pricing.
However, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Gas, Hon. Ahmed Aluko, pledged legislative support to deepen investment and policy reforms in the sector.
Other industry groups, including the Nigerian Gas Association, Nigerian Liquefied and Compressed Gases Association, and Virtual Gas Infrastructure Association of Nigeria, echoed the need for unified action to scale Nigeria’s gas economy sustainably. Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Mr Ed Ubong, commended ALDG for its institutional strides, noting progress in infrastructure development across the country.
In his remarks, ALDG Executive Secretary, Oga Adejo-Ogiri, emphasised the forum’s core message: collaborative engagement among government, industry and society is key to strengthening the domestic gas network, noting that the forum laid a firm foundation for sustained dialogue and action, positioning gas as a pillar for economic growth and energy transition.
