Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), has said the African country, as an emerging global energy powerhouse, has the responsibility to utilise its abundant gas resources to power the continent’s economic rise, apart from contributing meaningfully to global stability.
Bayo Ojulari made the above comments while attending the opening ceremony of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The NNPC boss further said the African country’s road to a meaningful future is in its efforts to make use of its abundant gas resources to drive industrialisation, apart from building a foundation for an export-led economic growth.
“Nigeria’s pathway to a prosperous future lies in our collective ability to leverage our resource abundance, especially as gas sits at the heart of our strategy. It is our bridge to a cleaner future, our engine for industrialisation and our foundation for export-led growth,” he noted.
Describing what he termed Africa’s energy transformation trilemma, Bayo Ojulari said that though the African continent is endowed with vast energy resources, it still grapples with issues of accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, with over 600 million Africans living without access to electricity.
The senior official said that with 37 billion barrels of crude oil and 209 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, both Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd are ready to lead the charge in changing the African nation’s energy narrative.
“With over 600 million Africans still lacking electricity, the continent’s priority cannot be a copy and paste. Ours must be a just, equitable, people-centred energy additions, one that lifts our people out of poverty, powers industries, supports agriculture, transforms transportation, and unleashes the creativity of Africa’s youth,” Bayo Ojulari commented.
While stating that the national oil company is not just a commercial entity but also a sign of peace and prosperity enabler, Bayo Ojulari said NNPC is taking decisive actions to promote access to gas as the primary fuel for driving industrialisation and economic growth.
In this direction, Bayo Ojulari stated that the NNPC has launched a new “Gas Master Plan,” in addition to aggressively progressing with strategic gas infrastructure projects, such as the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3), Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipelines, and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) expansion.
“These projects are more than pipelines; they are highways for economic opportunity,” the senior official concluded.
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