Energy
Quality Petroleum Education will solve challenges of Energy Transition, create boom in Gas Sector- Wabote
Lucky MOMOH
WARRI-THERE is an urgent need for the Federal Government and other stakeholders of the oil and gas industry to intensify efforts in the promotion of quality petroleum education and development of competent manpower who would help Nigeria meet the challenges of the ongoing energy transition and expected boom in the gas sector.
This was the key recommendation by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote in the convocation lecture he delivered on Friday at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) Effurun, Delta State, titled “Defining the Value of Local Content in Petroleum Education.”
He canvassed that as western nations shift their attention from oil and gas and focus on the provision of funding, manufacturing of equipment, and development of supply chain to support their renewable energy sources, it is imperative that Nigeria and other hydrocarbon-rich countries develop the requisite capacity and capability to produce and utilize their fossil fuel resources.
According to him, the ongoing debate and the deadlines being set in respect of energy transition underscored the need to develop home-grown skill sets to develop and manage the nation’s natural resources. He stressed that “the narrative around energy transition has further revealed the need to ensure that there is a direct link between our petroleum education and the development and utilization of our hydrocarbon resources, so we are able to deal with any outcome of the transition.”
Commenting on the recent enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and the Decade of Gas initiative, Wabote pointed out that those developments would not only engender investments and utilization of the nation’s estimated 600 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves but also lead to a boom in the gas sector, which would benefit discerning institutions, investors, operators, and service providers.
He added that “these scenarios require a robust petroleum education sector to ensure that our in-country skill sets are available and sufficient to support the exploration, development, production, and processing of hydrocarbon resources.”
The Executive Secretary charged educational institutions in Nigeria to prepare for the opportunities and challenges of energy transition and gas revolution by preparing robust curriculum in petroleum education with the mindset of enabling Nigerians develop and utilize our hydrocarbon resources using our home-grown technology. The institutions should put require greater focus on development of top-notch graduates to enable the development of Nigerian hydrocarbon resources – especially gas, he canvassed.
This he further explained, “will ensure that we are not forced out from the development of hydrocarbon resources due to lack of technical capability as was the case with coal development in Enugu.”
He maintained that FUPRE is an institution devoted to petroleum education and should be at the forefront of preparing our manpower needs for any outcome or impact of Energy Transition.
He agreed on the need to add renewables to the global energy mix to ensure energy security, but criticized attempts by the western world to demonize or de-marketing other energy sources as well as extracting commitments and setting unrealistic deadlines for countries to abandon fossil fuels.
He advised all nations to jealously guard their locally available sources of energy and ensure they remain in their energy mix for the benefit of their people.
He also highlighted two implications that have emerged from the rush to move the world away from fossil fuels and they include Divestment, whereby western countries shift funding away from the development of hydrocarbons towards renewable energy and Energy Shortage, which is the decline in the supply of hydrocarbons due to lack of investments and the fast pace of the shift to renewable energies.
He posited that Divestment has resulted in the emergence of indigenous companies playing major roles in exploration and production activities “such that companies like AITEO, FIRST E&P, EROTON, and others have acquired assets and are now responsible for producing about 15% of Nigeria’s oil and more than 60% of domestic gas.”
He however regretted that the divestment of the international oil companies and their reluctance to make further investments in oil and gas have resulted in the repatriation of capital out of Nigeria. “This stifles the nation’s economy of the much-needed foreign exchange with funds used as loans to acquire oil and gas assets instead of being used to develop new production assets,” he rued.
The $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ima Gas Project (IGP) has been described as a landmark development that affirms the growing viability of Nigeria’s upstream gas sector.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) flaunted the project, located offshore in OMLs 112 and 117 and developed by AMNI International in partnership with TotalEnergies, noting that it will produce about 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day at peak.
It added that the output will supply critical feedgas to the Nigeria LNG Limited in support of its Train 7 expansion, which will increase capacity at the Bonny Island plant from 22 million tons per annum to 30 Mtpa.
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This was detailed in a statement in which the state oil major stressed that the FID was enabled by the presidential directives of 2024, which provided fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, streamlined contracting and lowered development costs.
Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari described it as “a decisive vote of confidence in Nigeria’s gas sector and in the bold reforms” that have created competitive terms and a predictable investment environment.
The NNPC Ltd also commended the collaboration between AMNI, TotalEnergies and the Nigerian financial sector, saying the model of indigenous operator, international partner and domestic capital is a template for future developments.
“NNPC reaffirms its commitment to work with government, regulators and industry partners to sustain investment momentum and deploy Nigeria’s gas resources for industrialisation, job creation and long-term prosperity,” the statement added.
Nearly 20 years after the Federal Government awarded the contract for the 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has turned to the Akwa Ibom State Government to break a N4 billion compensation deadlock threatening the completion of the strategic power project.
The transmission project, awarded in 2006 under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), has remained stalled primarily over unresolved community and wayleave compensation issues.
But, to ensure the completion of the project, NDPHC Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, is now seeking the intervention of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to clear the outstanding issues and enable the contractor, Anit Energy, to return to site.
Adighije made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the Governor in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
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She disclosed that the latest valuation of the outstanding wayleave obligations was slightly below N4 billion.
The NDPHC boss said the prolonged delay was particularly concerning because the contractor had reportedly completed about 90 per cent of the engineering, procurement and construction procurement for the project.
She added that substantial project materials, including conductors and tower members worth millions of dollars, had already been deployed along the project corridor between Adiasim and Ikot Ekpene, but were still lying across communities as the impasse persists.
“We are therefore pleading for your kind intervention as a shareholder and board member of the company,” Adighije told the governor.
According to her, resolving the outstanding community issues would allow the contractor to remobilise to site and bring the long-delayed project to completion.
NDPHC is now targeting May 29, 2027, for commissioning of the transmission line, subject to the successful resolution of the outstanding compensation and community challenges.
Adighije said NDPHC was keen to support the state’s development ambitions through its role as a major interventionist agency in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
“We want to be part of your ARISE Agenda,” she said, referring to the governor’s development programme.
She also welcomed the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission, saying NDPHC had commenced discussions with the commission on the development of appropriate electricity-market frameworks for the state.
According to her, officials of the commission had visited NDPHC and requested information on the company’s projects in Akwa Ibom, while a joint working group was being established to examine how the assets could be better utilised and electricity access extended to underserved communities.
Also speaking, NDPHC Executive Director, Strategy and Commercial, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, commended the Governor’s administration for its development initiatives across the state.
Responding, Governor Eno welcomed the NDPHC initiative and pledged to take the Ikot Abasi project before the State Executive Council for consideration. The governor said the state government would examine the outstanding issues and determine how it could intervene to facilitate the completion of the project.
There are indications that the Nigeria-Libya Gas Pipeline would go from the drawing board to reality, as it has emerged as a major option to help Nigeria break into new markets for her gas reserves.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, during a high-level engagement with global energy companies, investors and governments on expanding Nigeria’s gas production, infrastructure, domestic utilisation and export markets.
The renewed push for the Nigeria-Libya pipeline topped the agenda for the meeting between Ekpo and Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Dr Khalifa Rajab Abdulsadek.
Under the proposed framework, Nigeria and Libya are expected to explore a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and establish a joint technical team to assess the feasibility, financing, infrastructure requirements, security considerations and commercial viability of the project.
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The NNPC Limited is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s participation in the bilateral initiative. If developed, the pipeline would provide another potential route for transporting Nigerian gas through North Africa to European markets, giving Nigeria an additional platform to monetise its gas resources beyond existing LNG channels.
According to Ekpo, the Federal Government was determined to create an investment environment capable of attracting the capital, technology and strategic partnerships required to convert the country’s gas reserves into economic growth, industrial development and jobs.
“Nigeria is open for business. We have put in place the right fiscal policies and operating environment, and the security of investors and their investments is guaranteed,” he said.
He revealed that the NNPC Limited would play a central role in translating Nigeria’s bilateral energy engagements into commercially viable projects, strategic investments and sustainable development.
The minister’s engagements also revealed plans by major industry players to significantly ramp up domestic gas production and infrastructure.
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