Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has spoken of the disposition of the current administration of harnessing Gas for power generation, saying that gas flaring in the country would soon be a thing of the past.

Speaking on Thursday at the 4th Annual Powering Africa event organised by Energy Net and held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Dr. Kachikwu said that “Nigeria should be a gas-based economy and not an oil one.”

The minister, who was represented by Engineer Timothy Okon, lamented that the Nigerian petroleum industry and economy in general has been developed as an oil play with gas production relegated to play a minor role, but assured that the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari is making efforts to change the trend and make Nigeria to become a gas-based industrial nation.

Kachikwu stated that efforts are ongoing to extend gas penetration in the domestic market, in order to facilitate the growth of electric power and the industrial sector.

“Nigeria would also soon end gas flaring and address environmental issues so as to provide an enabling environment for increased private sector participation in the gas sector,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria is working on creative and innovative gas policy and regulatory frameworks that fit the current circumstances, adding that “it’s a framework that would work for the country and be implemented to meet the aspirations of the Nigerian people and prospective investors.”

The minister projected that gas will likely overtake oil in the global energy mix and the demand will astronomically grow in all region of the world.

•Photo shows Dr. Kachikwu.

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