By Wilson Adekumola
The Federal Government has stated its plans to revolutionize the existing policies to favour gas development and attract more investors.
According to the Sun, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this during a meeting with top executives of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria who visited him in his Abuja office, recently.
He also assured of Federal Government commitment to resolving all challenges hindering efficient gas supplies to consumers in the country.
While noting that Nigeria was richly endowed with gas resources, Ekpo, however, emphasized that the country needed serious and committed investors to develop its natural gas reserves for national prosperity.
“Nigeria needs serious and committed investors in the gas sector to embark on this journey together as government is poised to reform existing policies to favour gas development. And I want to state that the Federal Government is ready to meet all stakeholders on a round table so that we can discuss the way forward for investments in the Nigeria gas sector,” he said.
The minister assured the visiting Shell delegation that the Federal Government is giving top priority to the gas sector given its potential to drive energy security and the economy in all aspects.
He stressed that would give priority to promoting the gas value chain and making gas available as a source of fuel to the auto, power and industrial consumers and that serious investors are needed to actualize this vision.
Responding, Marno De Jong, -Shell SVP, disclosed that the company was already working on studies related to the growth of its gas subsidiary Shell Energy.
He noted that various Shell personnel were assisting the government in numerous capacities, one of which is the Decade of Gas Secretariat being headed by a Shell staff.
