Hot SourceEmmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos
Seplat Energy Plc, Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) and Nigeria LNG have listed access to capital, integration as well as infrastructure as critical to unlocking Nigeria’s oil and gas resources.
Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Energy, Roger Brown, SNG Managing Director, Ralph Gbobo and NLNG’s Managing Director, Philip Mshelbila, spoke in separate sessions at the just concluded NOG Energy Week Conference in Abuja.
Brown stated that currently the sector is thriving and full of incredible talents, which are committed to delivering value and boosting the fortunes of operators and the country at large.
He added: “For us at Seplat Energy, when we completed the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) acquisition last year, we were ready for it. This consolidates the fact that we are here for the long term. The assets are prolific in oil and gas, and we will continue to develop and optimise these resources.”
Also commenting on the availability of capital to develop the assets, Brown said: “When we look at capital, we consider as many forms of capital that could be accessed. For us, capital is treated as a partner, and in that partnership, everything is told and nothing is held back. It is full disclosure for us. Hence, capital access has been very critical to our success as a company.”
The Seplat Energy CEO alluded to the prevailing situation where capital has become increasingly harder to access, but maintained that stability in business and business spheres will continue to attract capital.
“Beyond committing funds to acquire assets, sufficient money should be set aside to develop the acquired assets. Seplat Energy has been able to redeploy capital and optimise growth of the business. There is indeed capital to develop these assets that were acquired and indigenous energy companies would continue to demonstrate this,” he said.
In its remarks at the three-day event, Nigeria’s premier gas distribution company, SNG identified development of infrastructure and regulatory and fiscal stability as key drivers for the development of Nigeria’s gas resources.
“Major investments are required to develop large-scale infrastructure along the gas value chain (pipelines, gas processing plants, gas distribution networks) as well as human capacity development,” SNG’s Gbobo said.
A stable and transparent regulatory and fiscal regime is also essential to creating a predictable and secure operating environment which enhances investor confidence, he said, stressing the need for deployment of technology to enhance “the efficiency, sustainability and growth of the domestic gas sector.”
He said: “Technology-driven advancements such as remote data gathering systems, remote monitoring, real-time data analytics, digital solutions, autonomous operations systems, smart metering and monitoring, predictive analytics systems will play a significant role in improving the efficiency, sustainability and growth of the domestic gas sector, and enhancing its attractiveness to investors.”
Commenting on the operations of SNG, he said the company, which was established in 1998, is developing new gas distribution networks in Oyo and Bayelsa states, while also expanding its systems to cater for more industries in Ogun, Rivers and Abia states.
He said the milestones recorded by Shell proved the value of partnerships and collaboration towards the development of Nigeria’s gas resources, as this can “aggregate investment capital, facilitate knowledge transfer and capacity building, enhance skills and build expertise, significantly enhancing Nigeria’s domestic gas sector.”
Also, NLNG said that natural gas holds the key to accelerating Africa’s and Nigeria’s development, but only if stakeholders across the value chain embrace a culture of performance and integration to drive real, measurable results.
Speaking at a strategic panel discussion session titled “Accelerating Gas Development for Domestic and Global Energy Needs” during the 24th annual edition of the NOG Energy Week 2025 in Abuja, NLNG’s Managing Director, Mshelbila, underscored the pivotal role of gas in the evolving global energy mix and highlighted the urgent need to build a performance-driven, collaborative ecosystem that can unlock Nigeria’s vast gas potential.
“Nigeria has abundant gas reserves, but having gas is only the beginning. You must be able to find it, produce it economically, transport it to where it will be liquefied, and then ensure there’s a complete value chain to support delivery. That’s what it takes to make LNG work,” he said.
He emphasised that performance, not rhetoric, is what will shape the global perception of Nigeria’s gas sector.
“If we want to change the narrative, we must do it through performance. No amount of PowerPoint or talk can replace results. When people see performance, they invest. That’s how countries like the U.S. and Qatar have succeeded, not through marketing, but delivery,” he said.
He referenced Nigeria’s own journey with NLNG, which took over 30 years to come to fruition. “Despite the long delay, once we started, we moved quickly from one expansion to another and that was because we followed the fundamentals,” he pointed out.
Mshelbila acknowledged past challenges around investment, infrastructure, and delivery but noted that many of those bottlenecks are now being addressed. He added that the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), improved governance, and recent presidential directives have helped restore investor confidence and trigger fresh commitments, including the ongoing construction of NLNG’s Train 7 project, which will boost production to 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
“Foreign Direct Investment began flowing in as soon as key issues around fiscal terms, local content, and contracting were tackled. That’s what happens when performance meets reform,” he stated.
Using Qatar as a case study, Mshelbila noted that both countries began LNG operations around the same time, but while Nigeria is now reaching 30 mtpa, Qatar is targeting over 140 mtpa. “That’s the scale of possibility we must be aiming for,” he added.
