Nigeria has recorded four final investment decisions (FIDs) in gas projects in less than two years under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy (Oil and Gas), Mrs Olu Arowolo Verheijen, has disclosed.
She also said average daily gas production had risen from approximately seven billion cubic feet (7bcf) to eight (8bcf), with indigenous producers playing an increasingly significant role in boosting supply.
Verheijen attributed the progress to reforms aimed at removing investment barriers and unlocking Nigeria’s vast gas resources for industrialisation, electricity generation and economic growth.
She spoke on Wednesday while delivering the keynote address at the Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum 2026 in Lagos, themed “Energy Security and Africa’s Energy Transition: Defining the Role of Gas.”
“In Nigeria, in the last three years, under President Tinubu’s leadership, we have delivered tangible results. Average daily gas production has grown from about 7 BCF to 8 (BCF), with indigenous producers playing an increasingly significant role in that supply story. We have also recorded four gas final investment decisions in less than two years, including the EMA project just a month ago,” she stated.
Highlighting Nigeria’s gas potential, Verheijen said the country holds more than 200 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves, but stressed that these resources must be converted into tangible economic benefits.
“A country can sit on enormous natural wealth and fail to turn it into energy to power industry, industries that create jobs and jobs that help us grow incomes,” she said.
“What turns resources into prosperity is investment, consistent investment that responds to predictable incentives and a stable environment.”
She urged Nigeria and other African countries to focus on converting their natural resources into commercially viable projects capable of generating sustainable economic returns.
Tinubu’s reforms drive gas investments
Verheijen said President Tinubu had given his administration a clear mandate to address the factors preventing investment from matching Nigeria’s economic potential.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in 2023, he gave us a very clear mandate. Understand why investment has not moved at the pace of Nigeria’s potential and fix it,” she said.
She explained that gas remained central to the administration’s reform agenda because of its importance to electricity generation, manufacturing, transportation, fertiliser production and cleaner cooking.
“Gas has been a priority within that reform agenda because Nigeria is, as you all know, even more gas-rich than it is oil-rich, and the gas is arguably the most important physical resource for industrialisation,” she said.
The four investment decisions, including the EMA project, reflect developments in the sector that the government hopes will encourage further investment and expand gas utilisation across the economy.
Government promotes cleaner cooking, settles gas debts
Verheijen also highlighted measures introduced since 2023 to encourage the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household cooking.
She said the government had introduced import duty waivers and zero-rated value-added tax (VAT) measures for LPG and gas cylinders to promote cleaner cooking alternatives and reduce dependence on firewood.
“A gas-rich nation cannot be comfortable while families remain stuck in the age of firewood,” she said.
She further disclosed that more than ₦100 billion in longstanding gas debts had been settled since January 2026 under the administration’s Presidential Power Sector Financial Reforms Programme.
The settlement is part of efforts to address financial obligations in the power sector and strengthen the gas-to-power value chain.
Why Africa must define its energy transition
Addressing Africa’s energy transition, Verheijen said the continent must prioritise energy security, industrial development and job creation while pursuing environmental sustainability.
“For Africa, the energy transition must mean transformation, molecules converted into megawatts, fertilizer, petrochemicals, cleaner mobility, manufacturing, jobs and exports,” she said.
She maintained that African countries should have the freedom to determine the pace of their energy transitions in line with their development priorities and economic circumstances.
“The energy transition must also mean agency. Africa’s right to decide for itself how fast it decarbonizes, rather than having those choices made for us by others. It is about affirming our right to be the authors of our own energy transition,” she said.
Verheijen also stressed the importance of measuring and mitigating methane emissions and ensuring that host communities benefit meaningfully from gas development.
Expressing optimism about Nigeria’s gas prospects, she urged stakeholders to sustain reforms and assess progress by the economic and social benefits delivered to citizens.
“Nigeria’s gas future is promising. If we stay the course, energy security is a journey and every day we must ask ourselves the pivotal question, are we making progress?” she said.
She added: “History will not ask what we possessed, it will ask what we did with it and whether we turned it into lasting prosperity for our people.”
The Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum 2026 brought together stakeholders to discuss the role of gas in strengthening energy security, attracting investment and shaping Africa’s energy transition.
