The federal government has applauded the timeliness of Lee Engineering & Construction Company Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and other stakeholders handling the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) Midline Compressor Project.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, gave the commendation during an inspection tour of the ELPS Midline Compressor Stations at Ologbo and Okada in Edo State, where he expressed satisfaction with the pace of work and urged all parties to sustain the momentum towards the successful completion and commissioning of the facilities.

Ekpo, who was accompanied by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy at NNPC Limited, Olalekan Ogunleye, and the Chairman of Lee Engineering & Construction Company Limited, Chief Leemon Ikpea, said the project remained central to the federal government’s drive to expand critical gas infrastructure and deepen domestic gas utilisation.

On his X handle yesterday, the minister stressed that strategic investments in gas transportation infrastructure were essential to unlocking economic growth, improving energy security and supporting Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda,

“Ekpo expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded and commended NNPC Limited, Lee Engineering and all project stakeholders for maintaining the project’s delivery timeline. He urged them to sustain the current momentum to ensure the successful completion and commissioning of the facilities as scheduled.

“The minister reaffirmed the federal government’s unwavering commitment to expanding Nigeria’s gas infrastructure, noting that strategic investments in gas transportation infrastructure are critical to unlocking economic growth, enhancing energy security and deepening domestic gas utilisation,” he said.

According to the minister, the completion of the ELPS Midline Compressor Stations will significantly increase gas pressure along the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System, thereby boosting the volume of gas transported to industries, commercial users and power generation plants across Lagos and other parts of western Nigeria.

He noted that the project would improve the reliability of gas supply to critical sectors of the economy while supporting the government’s objective of ensuring adequate gas availability for domestic consumption.

Ekpo reiterated his belief in those handling the project despite its technical complexity, urging them to sustain the current pace until the facilities are completed and commissioned.

The minister highlighted the federal government’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s gas infrastructure, describing it as a key pillar for achieving sustainable economic growth and strengthening the country’s energy security.

The ELPS Midline Compressor Project is one of the major upgrades to Nigeria’s domestic gas transmission network as efforts intensify to complete one of Nigeria’s most strategic gas infrastructure projects.

With the ELPS II expansion doubling the pipeline’s nameplate capacity from about 1.1 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day to approximately 2.2 billion standard cubic feet per day, the installation of the midline compressor stations is expected to maximise utilisation of the existing infrastructure by increasing operating pressure along the pipeline.

The compressor project is designed to enable the existing network to transport significantly larger gas volumes without laying another transmission line.

ALSO READ: FG Wades into Fuel Profiteering

According to the latest progress report submitted by the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), construction was 92.7 per cent complete in January 2026 and reached 94.88 per cent in May 2026.

Once operational, the compressor stations are expected to improve gas delivery to thermal power plants, cement manufacturers, fertiliser producers and other major industrial consumers that depend on the ELPS for their energy needs.

A new round of escalating strikes between Iran and the US continued yesterday, further undermining the fragile interim peace agreement between the two countries, and prompting President Donald Trump to threaten violence that would ensure Iran “will no longer exist”.

On Sunday, Tehran launched drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait after new US strikes on sites in southern Iran, and threatened a “complete halt” to negotiations to end the war, the UK Guardian reported.

Trump said that a moment might come soon when he abandoned talks and the US would “militarily finish the job”. The US president posted on social media: “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

Kuwait, which hosts a major US army base, said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles and that there were no reports of injuries or damage, while Bahrain’s interior ministry said the Iranian strikes had damaged a residential building near the international airport and that no one had been killed.

Qatar’s interior ministry ⁠said one Qatari national had been killed and second person injured by shrapnel from “military operations ⁠in the area”. The two were on a boat that went missing on Saturday and was located early on Sunday.

The latest violence has been triggered by efforts to reopen the strait of Hormuz to all shipping without Iran’s direct oversight. The strategically critical waterway, which carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquid gas supplies before the war, has long been considered an international passageway.

US Central Command said in a statement that its strikes were “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” and had targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defence, drone storage and mine-laying facilities.

ALSO READ: Local Refiner Resort to Libya for Crude Oil Supplies

Washington has been promoting a southern lane along the coast of Oman, while Tehran, which ultimately aims to charge fees for use of the strait, wants ships to ‌use a northern route through its waters and under its control.

Hundreds of vessels, including tankers laden with oil, have been blockaded inside the Gulf by the closure of the strait since war broke out. Some have chanced the passage through the past two weeks, leading oil prices to drop to close to pre-war levels and bringing relief to economies around the world.

The US military accused Iran of violating the ceasefire on Saturday by attacking the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku, which carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar. According to ship-tracking websites, the Kiku appeared to be attempting to use the southern corridor near the coast of Oman.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, restated Tehran’s claim to sole control of the waterway during a state visit to Iraq on Sunday. He said in Baghdad: “Any interference in this matter, any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the strait of Hormuz, and increase the level of tension.”

Observers say Iran is using its ability to threaten shipping in the strait not just as leverage in negotiations with the US, but to intimidate neighbouring countries and establish a more dominant role in the region, the Guardian report stated.

Aragchi also called for the establishment of a security framework with Gulf countries that would exclude the US. He said: “We should reach a new framework that includes all countries in the region and without the presence or interference of any country from outside the region.”

Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan successfully brought representatives of Washington and Tehran together in Switzerland earlier this month but have been unable to bridge wide gaps on contentious issues such as the future of the strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief for Tehran, and the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. Under the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month, the two countries have 60 days to work out the details before signing a final agreement.

Leaders in Tehran and Washington face domestic political pressures to avoid a return to conflict and appear committed to a ceasefire for now, despite frequent bellicose rhetoric.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for both new attacks on Sunday. It said: “Let the enemy know that violating the ceasefire … will lead to a complete halt of ongoing processes.”

The IRGC, which controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, has gained influence in Iran in recent months. Its navy command said American bases in the region would “experience hell in the coming days”.

Agency Report (more…)

The Nigerian government has cautioned players in the oil and gas segment that she would not tolerate profiteering and sharp practices that exploit consumers.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, made the assertion in Abuja, on Monday noting that fuel prices in Nigeria must continue to be determined by market forces under the deregulated regime, but that the government would not fold her hands while the citizens are being fleeced.

He bared his mind at the opening ceremony of the 2026 General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum organised by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

He maintained that the era of government-fixed petrol prices was over, but that deregulation did not mean regulators should abdicate their responsibility to protect consumers.

Nigerians consider his remarks appropriate, because there are renewed public concerns over frequent fluctuations in petrol prices, while some filling stations allegedly manipulate dispensing meters to take advantage of consumers under the guise of a deregulated market.

Addressing lawyers, general counsels and other stakeholders, Lokpobiri said the NMDPRA had a statutory responsibility under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to ensure not only the availability of petroleum products but also to prevent unnecessary profiteering.

He stressed that, “Pricing is also another issue, and I think that is one issue that I want this forum to deal with today. As part of the requirements of deregulation, prices have to be determined by market forces. The NMDPRA has a unique responsibility, compounded by the PIA, to ensure not only that products are available but also that unnecessary profiteering is stopped.

“Yes, the market is definitely deregulated, but that doesn’t limit deregulation. I listen to discussions on television every day. They are calling me out. Mr. Lokpobiri should come and speak up.

“But I am not engaged in any press war with anybody. What is important is the reality of the situation in the industry. Primarily, market forces have to determine prices. But we also have a responsibility as a government to ensure that there is no profiteering. The PIA specifically vested government institutions, including the NMDPRA.”

The minister also expressed concern over alleged fuel dispensing fraud at some filling stations. “It is also important that Nigerians get the full benefit of what they buy. I have seen situations where somebody buys 50 litres, but what he gets is 30 litres.

“There are offices across the country with the responsibility of ensuring that our men and women are on the field and that if somebody buys 50 litres, he gets 50 litres. Nigerians deserve fairness and transparency in the marketplace,” he said.

Lokpobiri also urged regulators and operators to move beyond compliance with laws, arguing that investor confidence depends on regulatory certainty and predictability. “For far too long, the dominant question in our regulatory conversation has been: are operators compliant? This question is important and will always remain important, but it is no longer sufficient.

“The more consequential question today is whether our regulatory agencies are doing their jobs. Are our regulations and legal frameworks clear, consistent and predictable enough to earn the confidence investors need to commit their capital, not just for the short term but for the long term?

“In my opinion, compliance is just the foundation that we need to build on. Regulatory certainty is one of the most critical ingredients in attracting investors to any country,” he said.

The minister noted that Nigeria had become more competitive in attracting petroleum investments since 2023. “I want to be very direct with you. We have been competing well since 2023. Before 2023, we had a 10-year period where there was virtually no investment in Nigeria.

“Today, we take about 70 per cent of investments flowing into the African continent. That means we are competing well. That is not where I want us to be, but we must appreciate the gains we have made so that they can inspire us to do more and attract even greater volumes of capital,” he said.

Earlier, the Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Rabiu Umar, said the industry had moved beyond discussions centred solely on compliance to broader issues of regulatory certainty, transparency and investment confidence.

“Compliance, while essential, is not an end in itself. Compliance was and remains the foundation. The broader objective is to create a petroleum industry characterised by certainty, predictability, transparency and confidence; a sector in which investors can commit capital with clarity and operators can make long-term business decisions with confidence,” he said.

Umar said that five years after the enactment of the PIA, attention had shifted from interpreting the law to evaluating its implementation and investors’ perception of Nigeria’s regulatory environment.

He added that the forum would provide a platform for continuous engagement between regulators and operators, while acknowledging that implementation challenges and areas of ambiguity still existed within the regulatory framework.

In his presentation, the Secretary and Legal Adviser of the NMDPRA, Joseph Tolorunse, pointed out that regulatory certainty had ensured stability of fiscal rules throughout project lifespans and helped avoid policy reversals.

According to him, the PIA had made Nigeria’s oil and gas industry more competitive, adding that competitiveness would attract investment, with “investment leading to growth.”

“Permit me to conclude by returning to the theme of this Forum. Beyond Compliance: Driving Regulatory Certainty and Investment Confidence in Nigeria’s Petroleum Sector.

“These words capture an important truth. Compliance will always remain the foundation of an effective regulatory system, but it cannot be the destination. The destination is confidence. Confidence that investors can make long-term decisions with clarity,” he said.