NNPCL’s Plan To Establish Five LNG Plants In Ajaokuta Excites Akpoti-Uduaghan  

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, who is representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has described as a welcome idea, plans by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to establish five mini-Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State next year.

A statement by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel, in Abuja Friday explained that Akpoti-Uduaghan gave the commendation at the 13th Annual Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) forum.

The senator, who said the projects would start next year, noted that it would be the largest concentration of LNG facilities in one senatorial district in the country.

She said:  “I would like to appreciate NNPCL and the industry experts who have also considered and humbled us at Ajaokuta Local Government, with the (not too sure if it’s too early to speak about it), establishment of five mini LNG plants which will be flagged off early next year.

“This is actually the largest concentration of such projects in one district in the entire country. Five, not one, two, three, four, but five mini LNG plants will be established in Ajaokuta by God’s grace next year (2025).

“That’s good news for us, good news for Nigeria. So what does that mean? This and many others are just pivotal, it’s important to know that if there’s any place in the country where we should situate a technology hub that will not only drive innovations but talk about the testing and brainstorming around the various kinds of metals and what these metals can do for the industry. It’s just Ajaokuta Local Government.“ 

She also stressed  the need for the Federal Government to redefine the Nigerian local content to drive national development.

The senator explained that Nigeria must look beyond capacity building to unlock its full potential and claim its place on the global stage.

Nigerian content implementation, she noted, must encompass innovation, sustainability, collaboration and market expansion to drive a holistic transformation across sectors.

“For decades, Nigerian content has been synonymous with the development of local capacity in the oil and gas sector.

According to her, “We’ve emphasised skills acquisition, education and infrastructure development and rightly so.

“These efforts have laid a solid foundation. However, to unlock Nigeria’s full potential and claim our place on the global stage, we must now look beyond capacity building.

“Today, I invite us to broaden our perspective and consider how Nigerian content implementation can encompass innovation, sustainability, collaboration and market expansion to drive a holistic transformation across sectors.” 

She said that for every deep water operation, rigs are utilised and the cheapest rig stands at about $10 million, while some go as much as $25 million.

She said: “What actually makes up a rig? Steel. So, just imagine, count how many rigs you have in Nigerian waters. Imagine if we had those rigs manufactured in-country. 

“That means we would have saved so much money and we would have created so many jobs.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, proposed a comprehensive framework for national development, focusing on creating value, achieving self-reliance and establishing a legacy of global competitiveness.

“Let’s redefine Nigerian content as more than just the transfer of skills and the localisation of supply chains in the oil and gas sector. Instead, we must view it as a comprehensive framework for national development.

“Nigerian content should focus on creating value, achieving self-reliance and establishing a legacy of global competitiveness.

“Nigeria’s challenges – ranging from unemployment to dependence on foreign technology and underutilised resources – demand a more dynamic approach. 

“To pave this new frontier, I propose we focus on four core areas: Policy Refinement and Strategic Enforcement, Building Competitive Ecosystems, Value Chain Optimisation and Global Market Integration

“We have strong policies like the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and the Petroleum Industry PIA but how do we ensure these policies evolve to meet the demands of a fast-changing global economy?” She asked.