Abuja—The Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it is taking practical steps to actualize Federal Government’s plan of making gas as Nigeria’s transition fuel.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Dr. Ginah O. Ginah disclosed this on Wednesday at a media workshop tagged “enhancing media competencies to support Nigerian content in a gas economy” in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
He said that 70 percent of NCDMB’s investments are in gas-based activities, especially midstream and downstream gas.
Ginah maintained that the Board’s investments underscore the importance of gas to Nigeria’s economic sustainability, apart from its role in the energy transition.
Mangrovepen.ng recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had declared January 2021 to December 2030 as Nigeria’s Decade of Gas, with a commitment to fully exploit gas and industrialize the country.
According to Ginah, “President Muhammadu Buhari has made a commitment at COP26 held in November 2021 at Glasgow that Nigeria will seek to achieve net zero by 2060, which means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible.
“The Federal Government’s strategy is to use Gas as Nigeria’s transition fuel. The Ministry of Petroleum Resources has backed this position with bold policies such as the National Gas Expansion Program, Gas Network Code and Flares Commercialisation programme.
“As a responsive agency, the NCDMB has also taken deliberate steps to actualize the Federal Government’s declarations in gas and other aspects of the oil and gas value chain.”
He noted that the Board is in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to invest in the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited and establish 10,000 tonnes daily methanol production plant in Odioama, Bayelsa State.
The methanol plant and other initiatives of the NCDMB across Nigeria will be key to the emerging gas economy, and drastically reduce carbon emissions in the country, Ginah insisted.
A communication scholar from the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, Mr. Chido Nwakanma, in his presentation, hinted that the media has five cardinal functions: information dissemination, entertainment, continuity, correlation and sensitization.
He called for sustained, factual news reporting in the petroleum sector so that Nigerians can be greatly involved in the Decade of Gas.
“The role of the media now is to mobilize the citizenry for the Decade of Gas in Nigeria.
“We should report intensively and extensively to ensure awareness, buy-in, belief and participation of citizens,” Nwakanma admonished.
Speaking with our reporter shortly after the programme, one of the participants, Mr. Cyril Onoka lauded NCDMB for promoting local content, particularly in the petroleum sector.
“NCDMB has been building the capacities of Nigerians and making sure we play major roles in the oil and gas sector. Now, the board is at the forefront of operating a gas economy.
“I commend them for all the lofty initiatives and for also carrying media practitioners along in the scheme of things,” he said.
