Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has lamented the low natural gas utilisation among Nigerians, urging Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited to accelerate its natural gas delivery efforts for domestic use and export.

The minister lamented Nigeria’s “paradoxical situation” as a major gas-endowed nation with alarmingly low natural gas utilisation.

According to him, operators like SEPNU should partner with the government to correct the trend.

In a statement on Wednesday, the minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, disclosed that Ekpo spoke during a meeting with SEPNU’s senior management, led by the Managing Director, Mr Dotun Isiaka, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.

The meeting, he said, provided an opportunity for SEPNU’s leadership to brief the minister on their progress since taking over operatorship of assets from ExxonMobil in December 2024, with a focus on the gas components of the divestment deal.

Ekpo commended SEPNU’s management for the successful takeover and expressed optimism about their potential to expedite Gas Sales Agreements negotiations and execution.

These agreements, it was stated, are crucial for catalysing the gas industry and delivering much-needed natural gas to the nation through priority projects.

https://punchng.com/minister-decries-low-gas-utilisation/