By Adewale Sanyaolu
The Federal Government has announced plans to reform existing policies to favour gas development and attract more investments.
This was as it also assured of its commitment to resolving all challenges stifling efficient gas supplies to consumers in the country.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated this during a meeting with top executives of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria who visited him in his Abuja office, recently.
Ekpo who said Nigeria was richly endowed with gas resources, however, noted 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 said focus would be given 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.
In his response, Marno De Jong, -Shell SVP said the company was already working on studies related to the growth of its gas subsidiary Shell Energy.
He said 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.