Federal Gov’t Engages Local Govts, NDE On Gas Expansion Programme

The federal government has met with officials of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in its bid to meet the energy needs of Nigerians.

In 2021, the government launched the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), a joint project of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC), aimed at promoting the deployment of natural gas technology across the country.

In furtherance of the project, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb Nicholas Ella, on Friday, had two separate meetings with the director general of the NGE, Dr Silas Agara, and the president of ALGON, Aminu Muazu Maifata in Abuja, a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday said.

Amb Ella said the essence of the gas expansion programme was to deliver cleaner and sustainable energy to every nook and cranny of Nigeria, while promoting inclusion of all strata of society.

He noted that the deployment of natural gas infrastructure to the 774 local government areas of the country remains the priority of the federal government.

“The national gas expansion programme will stimulate socio-economic activities in our rural and urban centres,” Amb Ella said.

The permanent secretary added that the NDE with its skills acquisition centres spread across the country, could mobilise and train youths in the ongoing conversion of automobile vehicles from premium motor spirit (PMS) to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.

Speaking further on the boundless opportunities that the programme offers, the chairman of the National Gas Expansion Programme, Prof Mohammed Ibrahim, said engaging youths in the conversion of vehicles to CNG-powered vehicles would provide jobs and boost the government’s revenue base.

He explained that gas aside from being used as an alternative source of energy, could be used in the production of fertilisers, medicine and fabrics.

Prof Ibrahim said manpower with the requisite is needed for the conversion of 30 million cars in Nigeria to CNG-powered vehicles, thereby reducing the enormous pressure on the use of PMS as source of energy.

“We can empower welders, artisans in the gas industry. We want to build local competencies and skills in areas where there are coal deposits in the country, because it has been established that such areas have gas deposits, too,” the NGEP chairman said.

On the issue of funding, Prof Ibrahim said Nigeria’s successful bid for the hosting of the $5 billion Africa Energy Bank in Abuja would deal with funding challenges in oil and gas projects.

In his response, the new director general of NDE, Dr Silas Agara, said his agency’s 120 skills acquisition centres would train the needed manpower for the CNG-powered vehicles.

Accompanied by management staff of the NDE, Dr Agara said he was excited to partner with the petroleum ministry with a view to actualising the federal government’s gas infrastructure project to promote energy security.

The ALGON President represented by his Chief of Staff, Shehu Marshal, said the collaboration between the central government and the local council areas could not have come at a better time than now given the recent judgement of the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to the third tier of government.

“ALGON is ready to partner with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on this laudable project. Now that we are independent, we have the mandate of the association to go into this partnership,” Hon Maifata said.