Nigeria’s untapped gas wealth, urgent need for domestic utilization

By Engr. John Perede

Nigeria is blessed with one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, yet its citizens continue to live in darkness, spend heavily on diesel, and cook with firewood.

With over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves and an estimated 600 trillion cubic feet in potential resources, the nation should by now be exporting electricity, not excuses.

For decades, successive governments have branded gas as “Nigeria’s future,” but that future remains trapped in the ground. Instead of powering homes and industries, billions of cubic feet of gas are either exported or flared daily across the Niger Delta — a colossal economic and environmental loss.

A nation of abundance living in energy poverty

Nigeria currently produces between 6 to 8 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, yet only a small portion is allocated for domestic use.

The majority goes to export terminals, leaving local communities in perpetual darkness. This is a tragic contradiction — a country rich in energy resources but poor in energy access.

Gas-bearing states such as Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Imo, and Lagos possess the natural advantage to lead in community-based gas utilization.

These states should already be showcasing pilot projects of metered residential gas supply and small-scale gas-to-power plants capable of transforming local economies.

Sadly, the reality on the ground tells a different story.

Failures that Keep Nigeria in the Dark

The major barrier to Nigeria’s domestic gas revolution remains the lack of political will and policy continuity. Despite multiple declarations — from the “Gas Master Plan” to the “Decade of Gas Initiative” — there has been little progress in bringing gas to the people.

Pipeline projects such as the Obiafu–Obrikom–Oben (OB3) and the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP), conceived to transport gas across the nation, have suffered years of delay. Billions of dollars have been invested, yet many communities close to gas fields still rely on generators for power.

This administration, like those before it, must take responsibility for the continued non-utilization of domestic gas. Policy inconsistency, weak enforcement of anti-flaring regulations, poor infrastructure, and misplaced priorities have crippled the vision of national energy independence.

Questions the government must answer: Why has Nigeria, with over 200 trillion cubic feet of gas, failed to achieve a stable power supply? Why are gas-rich states still excluded from the benefits of their own natural resources? Why does gas flaring continue despite available technologies for capture and distribution?

Why has no metered community gas project been implemented under this administration? Why is export still prioritized over domestic industrial and residential use?

Charting a path forward

If the Federal Government is truly committed to change, it must: Initiate pilot gas distribution projects in key producing states like Delta, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom, encourage community-scale gas-to-power plants to support industries and households, enforce the ban on gas flaring and provide incentives for companies investing in local gas capture, introduce prepaid metering systems for domestic gas supply to ensure transparency and revenue protection, and treat gas as a national development asset, not merely an export commodity.

It is a national disgrace that a country so richly endowed with natural gas remains energy-poor. The solution is not in endless promises or foreign contracts, but in deliberate, measurable actions that bring gas to Nigerian homes, estates, and industries.

This administration must rise above rhetoric and deliver on the promise of a gas-powered economy. Nigerians deserve to see tangible results — pilot communities powered by gas, domestic supply pipelines completed, and electricity generated from our own natural endowment.

Energy poverty in Nigeria is not destiny; it is the product of failed leadership. The time for excuses is over. The time to act is now.

Engr. Akpoyibo
CEO, J-Pere Nigeria