For Nigeria to be on track in the implementation of its decade of gas programme, government should provide yearly status reports of the successes, issues, supports required and targets completion dates, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, has suggested.
He made the recommendation at the just concluded Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) held in Abuja where he made separate presentations at industry events.
The NCDMB chief suggested that the status reports should be prepared by agencies, entities and stakeholders that are responsible for the various projects and initiatives identified in the decade of gas programme and presented at the yearly NIES.
While calling for the continuity of the decade of gas programmes, he added: “The incoming government may give the programme a new name but we must not lose focus on the importance of gas to our energy needs and economic development.”
The Executive Secretary also highlighted eight focus areas the Board is utilizing to drive the realization of the decade of a gas initiative of the Federal Government.
The focus areas include human capacity development, construction of industrial parks, public-private partnerships and Nigerian content intervention funds. Others are research and development, regulatory framework, regional collaboration and enabling business environment.
Dwelling on the capacity building programmes required to enhance the training and re-training of the capable workforce for the industry, Wabote hinted that NCDMB had delivered close to 14 million manhours of training for the acquisition of various skill sets required to explore, develop, operate, and maintain hydrocarbon facilities.
Giving updates on the construction of oil and gas industrial parks, the Executive Secretary said the Board has commenced issuance of allocation letters to credible investors in readiness for the commencement of operations within the NOGAPS Industrial Parks located in Bayelsa and Cross River states.
He added: “The NCDMB Gas Hub at Polaku is fully dedicated to domiciliation of gas-related enterprises such as Pressure Reduction and Metering Station, CNG mother stations, LPG cylinder manufacturing plants, Gas processing facilities, power plant and other similar facilities.”
He stressed that narratives around energy transition have shifted significantly from energy swap to energy mix and this was because of the factual recognition that all forms of energy are important rather than demonising one form of energy against the other, simply because some nations have depleted their reserves of certain energy sources.
Wabote noted that the European Union had re-classified gas and nuclear energy as Green-energy in 2022, while coal production and consumption are on the resurgence as discussions are now about how to make it cleaner rather than referring to coal as ‘dirty fuel’.
