Presidential adviser says Nigeria’s average daily gas production has increased to 8bcf, stressing that predictable incentives and a stable investment environment are critical to converting resource wealth into prosperity.

Nigeria has recorded four final investment decisions (FIDs) in gas projects in less than two years, while average daily gas production has increased from about seven billion cubic feet (7bcf) to eight billion cubic feet (8bcf), the Special Adviser to the President on Energy (Oil and Gas), Mrs Olu Arowolo Verheijen, has disclosed.

Verheijen attributed the developments to reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to remove barriers to investment and unlock Nigeria’s vast gas resources for industrialisation, electricity generation and economic growth.

She spoke on Wednesday in her keynote address at the Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum 2026 in Lagos, themed “Energy Security and Africa’s Energy Transition: Defining the Role of Gas.”

Highlighting Nigeria’s gas potential, Verheijen said the country possessed more than 200 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves but warned that resource abundance alone could not guarantee economic prosperity.

“A country can sit on enormous natural wealth and fail to turn it into energy to power industry, industries that create jobs and jobs that help us grow incomes,” she said.

“What turns resources into prosperity is investment, consistent investment that responds to predictable incentives and a stable environment.”

She urged Nigeria and other African countries to focus on converting their natural resources into commercially viable projects capable of generating sustainable economic returns.

Verheijen said President Tinubu had given his administration a clear mandate to identify and address the factors preventing investment from matching Nigeria’s economic potential.

“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in 2023, he gave us a very clear mandate. Understand why investment has not moved at the pace of Nigeria’s potential and fix it,” she said.

According to her, gas occupies a central position in the administration’s reform agenda because of its importance to electricity generation, manufacturing, transportation, fertiliser production and cleaner cooking.

“Gas has been a priority within that reform agenda because Nigeria is, as you all know, even more gas-rich than it is oil-rich, and the gas is arguably the most important physical resource for industrialisation,” she said.

The presidential adviser disclosed that Nigeria had recorded four gas project FIDs in less than two years, including the Ima project in September 2026.

She added that indigenous producers were playing an increasingly significant role in domestic gas supply, reflecting efforts to create a more favourable investment environment and expand the utilisation of gas across the economy.

Verheijen also highlighted government measures introduced since 2023 to encourage the adoption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household cooking.

She said import duty waivers and zero-rated value-added tax (VAT) measures had been introduced for LPG and gas cylinders to promote cleaner cooking alternatives and reduce dependence on firewood.

“A gas-rich nation cannot be comfortable while families remain stuck in the age of firewood,” she said.

The measures are intended to make cleaner cooking fuels more accessible to households while reducing the health and environmental consequences associated with traditional cooking methods.

Verheijen further disclosed that the Federal Government had settled more than ₦100 billion in longstanding gas debts since January 2026 under the Presidential Power Sector Financial Reforms Programme.

The settlement is part of broader efforts to address financial obligations in the electricity sector, improve liquidity and strengthen the gas-to-power value chain.

Resolving outstanding debts owed to gas suppliers is expected to help ease financial constraints affecting the supply of gas to power generation companies.

Addressing Africa’s energy transition, Verheijen argued that the continent must prioritise energy security, industrial development and job creation while pursuing environmental sustainability.

She said natural gas could help African countries convert their resource wealth into electricity, fertiliser, petrochemicals, cleaner transportation, manufacturing capacity and export earnings.

“For Africa, the energy transition must mean transformation, molecules converted into megawatts, fertilizer, petrochemicals, cleaner mobility, manufacturing, jobs and exports,” she said.

She maintained that African countries should retain the freedom to determine the pace and direction of their energy transitions in line with their development priorities, economic circumstances and energy needs.

“The energy transition must also mean agency. Africa’s right to decide for itself how fast it decarbonizes, rather than having those choices made for us by others. It is about affirming our right to be the authors of our own energy transition,” she said.

Verheijen also emphasised the need to measure and mitigate methane emissions from gas operations and ensure that host communities derive meaningful benefits from resource development.

She urged stakeholders to sustain efforts to attract investment, expand gas production and develop infrastructure that would enable the country to harness its reserves for domestic consumption and economic growth.

Expressing optimism about Nigeria’s gas prospects, she said the ultimate measure of progress should be the economic and social benefits delivered to citizens.

“Nigeria’s gas future is promising. If we stay the course, energy security is a journey and every day we must ask ourselves the pivotal question, are we making progress?” she said.

She added: “History will not ask what we possessed, it will ask what we did with it and whether we turned it into lasting prosperity for our people.”

The Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum 2026 brought together stakeholders to discuss the role of natural gas in strengthening energy security, attracting investment and shaping Africa’s energy transition.