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By Adewale Sanyaolu and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigeria’s oil and gas sector reforms are beginning to deliver results, following the $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) taken by TotalEnergies and Nigerian independent oil company, AMNI International, to develop the long-delayed Ima Gas Field.
Tinubu said the investment demonstrated the impact of measures introduced by his administration to make Nigeria a more competitive destination for oil and gas investments, reduce the cost and time required to develop projects and provide greater certainty for investors.
The President, in a statement on the development, said the administration had introduced specific incentives aimed at unlocking onshore and shallow-water gas projects that had remained undeveloped for years.
“Today, we are seeing the result,” he said.
The Ima Gas Field, discovered in 1973, has remained undeveloped for more than five decades. The project straddles the OML 112 and OML 117 offshore licences in Nigeria’s shallow waters, close to Bonny Island.
Under the development plan announced by TotalEnergies, which is operator with a 40 per cent interest, AMNI holds the remaining 60 per cent stake. The field will be developed through a single platform connected by a 22-kilometre pipeline to Nigeria LNG’s facilities at Bonny Island.
Production is expected to commence in 2028, with the field projected to reach a plateau of about 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Once on stream, Ima is expected to supply about one-third of the gas required for the ongoing Nigeria LNG Train 7 expansion, which will increase NLNG’s liquefaction capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum.
The development therefore provides additional feedgas for one of Nigeria’s most significant ongoing LNG expansion projects, while bringing a gas discovery that has been dormant for over 50 years into commercial development.
TotalEnergies described Ima as a low-cost, low-emissions development, with a simplified platform design, electricity supplied from shore, no routine flaring and permanent methane detection and monitoring.
The project is also expected to have a significant Nigerian content component, with TotalEnergies stating that all key contractors will be Nigerian companies. About 60 per cent of the workforce during the development phase is expected to come from the host communities.
For Tinubu, the investment represents the practical outcome of the reforms introduced by his administration to stimulate investment in Nigeria’s hydrocarbon sector.
He said the project would create opportunities for Nigerian engineers, technicians and contractors, while generating jobs, business opportunities and economic activity in the host communities.
“AMNI, a Nigerian company, holds the majority interest in the project. Around 60% of the development workforce is expected to come from the host communities,” the President said. He added that the development would also contribute to Nigeria’s export earnings as the country seeks to expand the monetisation of its abundant gas resources.
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“This is what our reforms are intended to achieve, to move Nigeria’s resources from potential to production and translate them into jobs, incomes and opportunity for our people,” Tinubu said.
The Ima FID comes after TotalEnergies and its partners took FID on the Ubeta gas development in 2024. Ubeta is expected to start production in 2027 and is designed to provide additional gas supply to Nigeria LNG. TotalEnergies has said the Ima project demonstrates its ability to unlock new gas resources following incentives introduced by the Nigerian Government for non-associated gas developments.
Tinubu said the Ima development was not the end of the reform drive, declaring: “We have more to unlock.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo has commended President Bola Tinubu for the policy reforms that have helped strengthen investor confidence and facilitated the Final Investment Decision (FID) by the AMNI International/TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited Joint Venture (JV) on the Ima Gas Development Project.
The Minister described the FID as a major milestone for Nigeria’s gas sector and a strong vote of confidence in the investment potential of the country’s energy industry. He said the project demonstrates the growing momentum behind the Federal Government’s drive to create a more competitive, predictable and investment-friendly environment for the development of Nigeria’s vast gas resources.
Ekpo said the milestone underscores the positive impact of the strategic reforms and Executive Orders approved by President Tinubu to enhance competitiveness, improve the investment climate and accelerate project delivery across the oil and gas industry.
“The achievement of Final Investment Decision on the Ima Gas Development Project is a tangible demonstration of the positive impact of the policy reforms championed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Executive Orders and broader regulatory reforms approved by Mr. President have strengthened investor confidence and improved the attractiveness of Nigeria’s gas sector,” said Ekpo.
“Ima Gas Development Project is more than an investment in gas production; it is an investment in Nigeria’s future. It aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reinforces our collective commitment to transforming our natural gas resources into jobs, industries, revenues, and shared prosperity for the Nigerian people,” he added.
The Minister lauded AMNI International and TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited for their confidence in Nigeria’s investment landscape and for reaching this important project milestone. He described the Joint Venture as a strong example of how the complementary strengths of indigenous enterprise and international energy expertise can be harnessed to deliver commercially viable projects of strategic importance to the Nigerian economy.
He noted that the commitment of both companies to the development of the Ima Gas Project demonstrates the potential for strategic partnerships to unlock Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and deliver value across the energy sector.
According to the Minister, successful delivery of the project will generate significant opportunities for Nigerian businesses, stimulate employment, deepen local content participation, facilitate skills and technology transfer, and contribute to the expansion of Nigeria’s domestic gas economy.
Ekpo urged the Joint Venture partners to sustain the momentum generated by the FID and work closely with relevant government institutions to ensure the timely and efficient execution of the project.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to providing the necessary policy and regulatory support for investments that expand gas production and utilisation, strengthen infrastructure, create economic opportunities and accelerate the implementation of the objectives of the Decade of Gas initiative and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Ima Gas Development Project reflects the kind of strategic investment needed to translate Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources into tangible economic value, while supporting the country’s broader aspirations for industrialisation, energy security and sustainable economic growth,” he added.
