25 February 2013, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has announced that the country will become the regional hub of petrochemical and fertilizer by 2017.
The Group Executive Director of Gas and Power, Dr. David Ige, made this disclosure on Thursday in Abuja while receiving the prestigious Man of the Year Award from the Oil and Gas Year book that chronicles the Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry.
Dr. Ige said that the gas development reform and capacity in the country were being redoubled and that a few years from now the entire nation would be wired up for gas.
“All that we need to make Nigeria a regional hub of petrochemical and fertilizer is in place and by 2017, Nigeria clearly will become the regional hub of gas in Africa,” Dr.Ige affirmed.
He noted that the dedicated major Gas Infrastructure Development initiated by the Jonathan administration is designed to create flexibility of movement of domestic gas nationwide.
Dr. Ige further revealed that the Ajaokuta-Kano-Kaduna gas line is at an advanced stage of design to supply gas to the northern part of the country for power generation and gas-based industries, stressing that similar gas infrastructure projects are ongoing in different parts of the country.
The NNPC GED also said that these improvements in gas supply and power availability are a testament to the holistic approach of this administration in resolving the power crisis in Nigeria permanently.
Nigeria, he disclosed, is on its way to achieving gas export parity, a development that would encourage greater investment by the private sector in the gas exploration and production. He revealed that domestic gas usage has been increasing, noting that 300 taxi drivers have converted their cars to run on gas in Benin city.
Dr. Ige applauded the organizers for the award and said it would spur him and the NNPC to record more milestones in the gas revolution agenda of the Federal Government.
Speaking in similar vein, the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Osten Olorunshola commended the organizers for their painstaking efforts adding that the nation is moving forward as production of crude oil has stabilized in the country.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Ernest Nwapa applauded the publishers for showcasing Nigeria in positive light aimed at transforming the economy of the nation through the Oil and Gas Industry.
