Energy transition: NMDPRA Reaffirms Commitment to Driving Sustainable Gas Utilisation 

 Peter Uzoho

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has restated its commitment to ensuring sustainable growth of natural gas exploitation and utilisation in Nigeria.

Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, stated this in Lagos at a one-day stakeholders engagement on: “Gas Utilisation in Nigeria”, explaining that it had become important that companies and homes embraced the utilisation of gas as an alternative to fossil fuel.

Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Distribution, System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, enjoined Nigerians to massively adopt the usage of gas as against diesel and petrol for their daily energy needs.

He said that this would reduce the nation’s carbon footprint, tackle global warming as well as climate change.

“It will also help to reposition the economy for sustainable growth and accelerate job creation since gas is believed to be the future of the nation’s economy”, he said.

Ahmed noted that the essence of the engagement was to encourage large consumers of petroleum products to become aware of the comparative advantages between the different fuels, particularly gas, which he added had been designated as Nigeria’s transition fuel.

He explained that to promote gas usage and investment, the federal government had various initiatives and policy frameworks which included the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and the Decade of Gas Programme.