By Timothy Ekpo
UYO
The Akwa Ibom government has tasked the Gas Aggregators Company, Nigeria (CACN), to harness the gas sector to serve as a catalyst of development of the region and the nation.
The State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, gave the task at a two-day South South Gas Utilization Forum, 2025,which took place at Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, recently, with the theme, “Utilizing Gas as a Catalyst for Sustainable Growth”.
Eno, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, said the summit had not only deepened Akwa Ibom understanding of the emerging opportunities in gas development across the South South region, but has equally enforced the State’s shared commitment to collaborate actions, sound policy alignment and sustainable resource management.
The governor affirmed that as a State, Akwa Ibom remained resolute in the believe that the gas sector, if properly harnessed, would serve as a catalyst for industrialisation, environmental innovation and improved prosperity for the people.
He stated that his administration would be committed to do its part through the creation of an enabling environment for investment and ensured strict adherent to environmental standards and community benefit framework.
The state chief executive noted that government would work closely with federal agencies, host communities and relevant key stakeholders in the private sector to make gas serve the intended purposes, stressing that as the summit would be rounded off, there was need for sustained conversation with actionable plans for a secured energy future.
Eno urged the summit to serve as the beginning of a stronger regional partnership, faster infrastructure delivery and a unified voice from the South South to drive the nation’s gas transmission.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Gas, Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the commitment of the governor to peaceful governance and inclusive economic development has created an enabling environment and crave for industrialisation, which have made the GACN converge on Uyo for the 2025 summit a huge success, adding that the vision of Akwa Ibom government to reposition the State for prosperity, is a commitment that aligned strongly with the Ministry’s goal in the gas sector, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, from gas to prosperity.
He acknowledged government’s efforts to reposition the State as a destination for energy investment and innovation and applauded GACN for commencing the timely and strategic engagement under the theme, “Utilising Gas as a Catalyst for Sustainable Growth”.
Ekpo explained that the theme spoke directly to the urgency and opportunity before stakeholders in the region, on how they would harness the God-given gas resources to power sustainable development, lift the people out of energy poverty and drive industrial transformation across the South South and beyond.
The gas minister noted that the sustained leadership of Gas Aggregators Company Nigeria in ensuring the aggregation, management and delivery of natural gas to the nation’s domestic market, was instrumental to the success of Nigeria’s gas master plan.
Ekpo stated that the South South region remained the power house of Nigeria’s natural gas production, providing the resources that the industries, power hones and earn the country’s foreign exchange.
He said despite the feat of being the major revenue earner, the region has remained an area that was yearning for the full benefit from the resources it produces.
Ekpo stressed that the workshop should not be taken as another meeting, but as a call to action, a platform to provide practical solution that would move the area from being a region of resource extraction, to one with value addition, innovation and inclusive growth.
The gas minister said it was a pivotal moment for the region, a case to reposition the region as a hub for gas commercialisation and utilisation was compelling, adding that the region had the reserve, the infrastructure potentials, a peaceful investment climate and most importantly, government and the people that are ready to partner for development.
While emphasising the readiness of the region, Ekpo said, “Our vision is clear, to turn gas into power, gas into industries and ultimately, gas into prosperity for our people”.
He pointed out that the commitment meant attracting investment into gas based industries, such as petrochemicals, fertilizers, modular refineries, CNG for transportation, building a reliable gas infrastructure to connect supplies to the mine centres and ensure that youths of the area were trained to take advantage of opportunities in the evolving gas economy.
Ekpo maintained that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021, the role of GACN had been strengthened further as it provided a solid legal framework to ensure that the domestic gas outlet was commercially viable and socially impactful.
Goodwill messages came from the governors of Cross River, Delta and Rivers States.
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