Right-sizing Nigeria’s Gas Expansion Plans: What Citizens Need to Know (X Space)

Meeting Nigeria’s domestic energy needs remains one of the most significant barriers to sustainable development and economic growth in the country. The government proposes to ramp up gas production, utilization and export, with the aims of supporting industrialization, boosting domestic energy supply (for power, cooking and transport), and increasing government revenues.

Whether ramping up gas utilization is feasible, or indeed the appropriate approach to achieving Nigeria’s energy supply and economic ambitions, is uncertain. What is certain is that global pressure to transition away to cleaner energies and defund fossil fuel projects complicates the process of realizing that goal and could lead to wasted investments that jeopardize the economic and energy security of Nigerians in the future.

In order to ensure that Nigeria’s gas ambitions contribute to, rather than hinder Nigeria’s sustainable development and meets national and global commitments, it is necessary for stakeholders and the general public to understand potential risks and viability factors associated with government’s ambitions to expand gas use, considering the global energy transition.

NRGI and civil society partners have led advocacy for government to disclose its gas plans following commitments by government to the Decade of Gas initiative in 2021. Although the decade of gas plans has now been disclosed, specific details on the action plans and efforts to mitigate the risk of stranded assets are undisclosed.

Objectives

• Situating fossil fuel expansion within the context of the global energy transition
• Provide clarity and build momentum on the need for rightsizing Nigeria’s gas plans
• Provide an overview of Nigeria’s gas ambitions: The Decade of Gas: goals, risks, opportunities and what must be done

Speakers

• Tengi George-Ikoli, senior officer, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
• Dr. Louis Brown Ogbeifun, founder/CEO, AfriTal
• Olusegun Elemo, executive director, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative
• Felicia Dairo, project manager, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
• Faith Nwadishi, executive director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy
• Enebi Opaluwa, acting head, Natural Resource Climate Governance, BudgIT