Lagos Energy Week: Ed Ubong affirms that Nigeria’s 2bcf/day boom hinges on fixing power and cooking gas
UGO AMADI
At Lagos Energy Week 2026, Decade of Gas coordinator Ed Ubong stated that the sector’s success hinges on two critical daily realities: domestic power supply and cooking gas access.
According to him ,while prioritizing domestic over export gas, Ubong warned that a failing power sector could force this new supply back to export, hindering industrial growth.
“For Nigeria to move, there are two focus areas that we must address, one is the power sector and the other is cooking gas,” Ubong said. “Two big areas that every Nigerian connects with daily.”
The comments came under the conference theme, “Sustainable Growth Through Gas: Building Energy Security for Lagos, Nigeria and West Africa”, held at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island.
Ubong’s warning follows a record shift in Nigeria’s gas market. For the first time in the country’s history, over 2 billion cubic feet per day of gas is now being supplied to the domestic market.
Recall that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, confirmed the milestone earlier this year, noting it has helped stabilize electricity generation and improve energy access for homes and industries.
But Ubong cautioned that the gains could be lost if the power sector doesn’t deliver. “If power does not work, we will most likely end up exporting most of that new gas. Then what it then means is that both manufacturing, whether industrial sector remains perpetually stagnated and about the same level,” he said.
Ubong has consistently identified gas-to-power and the expansion of domestic LPG usage as the two priority areas for the Decade of Gas.
The goal, he said is to use gas to improve electricity supply while replacing firewood and charcoal with cleaner cooking gas to improve public health and environmental sustainability. As Nigeria plans to increase LPG usage from 1.8 million tonnes per annum to 3 million tonnes by 2030, with over five million gas cylinders expected to be distributed nationwide.
The Decade of Gas Secretariat, fully established in 2023, is coordinating implementation by unlocking reserves, stimulating demand through credible off-takers, expanding infrastructure, ensuring competitive pricing, and building human capacity.
Over 215 gas demand projects are now tracked in the NMDPRA centralised database to improve planning and execution.
The Lagos Energy Week theme underscores the regional stakes. Organizers say gas is taking center stage in Africa’s evolving energy transition, and the 2026 edition aims to bring together “visionary thinkers and solution-driven conversations” to strengthen regional energy resilience.
With Nigeria’s 2P gas reserves estimated at 210.54 trillion cubic feet — the largest in Africa and ninth globally , Ubong’s message was clear: reserves alone don’t count.
“The real value of our gas resources is not in reserves alone, but in megawatts delivered to homes and industries, jobs created, foreign exchange earned, and peace enabled through access to clean and reliable energy,” Minister Ekpo said at the National Gas Day session.
Production has climbed from roughly 6.8 bcf/d in 2023 to 7.5 bcf/d in 2025, with a national target of 12 bcf/d by 2030. Several upstream operators have taken Final Investment Decisions on major gas projects, signaling sustained momentum.
Ubong said accountability mechanisms have been strengthened, with stakeholders monitored on project delivery and progress. The question now driving the ecosystem: “What support is required to move projects forward and unlock value for Nigeria?”
If the power sector and cooking gas value chains are fixed, he argued, Nigeria can convert its gas boom into jobs, industrial growth, and energy security. If not, the country risks shipping the opportunity abroad while domestic industry stalls.
