Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo has lauded the developmental strides of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the gas sector of the oil and gas industry.
He said the Federal Government’s firm determination to advance the nation’s gas resources was the surest pathway to economic prosperity.
Ekpo stated this in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Wednesday, when he visited the facilities and projects of the Board in which he serves as Co-Chairman of the Governing Council, noting that Nigeria is endowed with vast natural gas resources of about 209 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.
He also emphasized the necessity to harness these resources effectively to drive economic development, underlining President Bola Tinubu’s unalloyed support to the gas sector with initiatives extending to the entire value chain, notably gas development, distribution and penetration.
Acording to the Minister, the Federal Government’s drive is geared towards reducing the cost of transportation, the cost of living and impact every part of the country positively.
He listed some of the key initiatives his ministry is pursing to include investments in critical gas infrastructure development to support the transportation and distribution of natural gas across the country, promotion of domestic gas utilisation for power generation, industrial applications, and transportation as well as strengthening NCDMB’s capacity to build capacity and enforce local content policies.
Other laudable initiatives reeled out by the Minister include encouraging and supporting gas-to-power projects to ensure a reliable and sustainable supply of electricity, expanding Nigeria’s capacity to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to international markets, to generate revenue and position Nigeria as a key player in the global gas market, and strengthening the policy and regulatory frameworks governing the gas sector to create an enabling environment for investment and innovation.
The Minister stressed that 60 percent of NCDMB’s investments are gas based and advised that new projects by the Board should focus on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) due to the direct impact on transportation and cost of living.
He lauded the NCDMB for the remarkable strides it had made in promoting local content and for constructing the magnificent 17 storey headquarter building which, he said, signifies the impressive growth and depth of local capacity.
Ekpo added that the visit provided him an opportunity to meet with management and staff of the Board, learn more about the Board’s operations, and discuss how to continue driving local content development in the nation’s gas sector.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, thanked the Minister for visiting the Board’s facilities and assured him of the commitment of the management and staff of the Board in supporting the Federal Government’s economic aspirations.
The Tide reports that the Minister and his entourage toured the NCDMB’s facilities, including the Technology Innovation and Incubation Centre (TICC) as well as listened to presentations from three incubates on their technology solutions and how NCDMB is supporting them from concept to commercialisation.
The Minister’s team also visited the NCDMB Conference Hotel project, which is currently being constructed, the NCDMB gas hub at Polaku, Yenagoa, as well as the 10 megawatts gas-power plant, which supplies electricity to the Nigerian Content Tower and selected offices of the Bayelsa State Government.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa