By Obiabin Onukwugha
As part of ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria’s gas sector for national industrialisation, energy security, and sustainable economic growth, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCLtd, has officially unveiled its Gas Master Plan, tagged NGMP 2026.
A statement by NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer
NNPC, Andy Odeh, said the unveiling, which held at the NNPC Towers in Abuja at the weekend, marks a strategic inflection point in Nigeria’s energy transition journey.
He said the GMP also underscores government’s resolve to translate the nation’s vast gas endowment into tangible economic value, infrastructure expansion, and global competitiveness, in alignment with its long-term development aspirations.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, described the Gas Master Plan as a deliberate pivot from policy articulation to disciplined execution, anchored on commercial viability and integrated sector-wide coordination.
“Today’s launch is not merely the unveiling of a document; it represents a deliberate shift towards a more integrated, commercially driven, and execution-focused gas sector, aligned with Nigeria’s development aspirations.
“Nigeria is fundamentally a gas Nation. With one of the largest proven gas reserves in Africa, our challenge has never been potential, but translation: translating resources into reliable supply, infrastructure into value, and policy into measurable outcomes for our economy and our people. The Gas Master Plan speaks directly to this challenge,” Ekpo said.
The minister noted that the Plan’s strong focus on supply reliability, infrastructure expansion, domestic and export market flexibility, and as well, strategic partnerships aligns seamlessly with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas Initiative. He also said the GMP positions natural gas as the backbone of Nigeria’s energy security, industrialisation, and just energy transition.
In his address, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Engr. Bashir Ojulari, described the NNPC Gas Master Plan 2026 “as a bold, effective execution-anchored roadmap designed to unlock Nigeria’s immense gas potential and elevate the country into a globally competitive gas hub.”
Ojulari noted that with about 210 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves and an upside potential of up to 600 Tcf, Nigeria possesses one of the most consequential hydrocarbon basins in the world; one reinforced by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the Federal Government’s gas-centric energy transition agenda.
“The Plan is structured not just to deliver – but to exceed- the Presidential mandate of increasing national gas production to 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, while catalysing over 60 billion dollars in new investments across the oil and gas value chain by 2030,” Ojulari stated.