IMEMPA Calls for Urgent Action to Turn Akwa Ibom Gas Resources Into Industrial Hub

By Victor Essang

The Ibom Minerals, Energy and Maritime Professionals Association (IMEMPA) has called on the Akwa Ibom State Government, oil and gas operators and relevant federal agencies to accelerate efforts to monetise the state’s gas resources and transform them into an industrial development engine.

The association said the proposed Ibom LNG Gas Hub at Akpabom in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area could provide a platform for converting associated gas currently being flared into liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity, fertiliser, condensate and petrochemical feedstock.

In a statement issued by its Executive Secretary, Victor Udom, IMEMPA described the project as an opportunity to move Akwa Ibom from primarily producing raw hydrocarbons to processing, consuming and investing in its natural resources.

According to the association, the Akpabom project is strategically located within the 50,215-hectare Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone, an industrial corridor supported by the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA), which it said provides an appropriate environment for gas-based industrial development.

IMEMPA said the immediate priority should be securing adequate gas supply for the project, particularly through a Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) involving Seplat, Sterling and the Ibom LNG project.

The association proposed a five-year GSA with an additional five-year extension option, anchored initially on demonstrated gas volumes and structured to allow expansion towards 200 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) as additional gas is proven and contracted.
It said such an agreement would provide the commercial certainty required to move the project from planning and front-end engineering design to financing and construction.

IMEMPA said available data showed that significant volumes of gas were already being flared in oil-producing areas of Akwa Ibom.

It said an independent review of Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) flare data between November 2024 and January 2025 indicated that approximately 7.86 billion cubic feet of gas was flared across OML 67, 68, 70 and 104/QIT over 92 days.

The association put the average volume at about 85.5 million standard cubic feet per day, while noting that comparable data from Sterling Field was not available at the time of its statement.

IMEMPA said the figures should form the basis for planning the first phase of the project rather than relying solely on the often-mentioned 200 MMSCFD target.

It argued that designing the initial phase around verified and contractable gas volumes would improve the project’s bankability, while providing room for expansion as additional supplies become available.

The association also called for the establishment of independent gas and emissions monitoring mechanisms in Akwa Ibom and other oil-producing states.

It proposed a State Gas and Emissions Transparency Framework, tentatively named the Office of Hydrocarbon Accounting and Transparency (HAT), to reconcile available data from operators, regulators and independent measurements without taking over the statutory responsibilities of federal agencies.

According to IMEMPA, the proposed framework would track gas production, utilisation, reinjection and flaring; publish aggregated information; improve emissions transparency; and provide government with reliable investment intelligence.

The association said accurate data was critical because gas production, deliverable gas and contracted gas were not necessarily the same.

“Design capacity is not production. Production is not deliverable gas. Deliverable gas is not contracted gas,” the association said, stressing that greater transparency would help financiers, government and host communities better understand the actual volumes available for monetisation.

IMEMPA urged the state government to make gas monetisation a strategic component of its industrialisation programme and provide appropriate support for qualified local gas off-takers, subject to gas availability and federal regulatory requirements.

It also called for improved roads, security and community infrastructure around the Akpabom industrial corridor and urged the government to integrate the Ibom LNG project into the industrialisation objectives of the ARISE administration.

The association further urged operators to consider the commercial opportunities presented by gas utilisation, particularly as Nigeria continues to pursue reductions in routine gas flaring.

It said a reliable local gas off-take arrangement could enable operators to convert gas that would otherwise be flared into commercial value while supporting industrial development in the host communities.

IMEMPA consequently called for an urgent stakeholder roundtable involving the Akwa Ibom State Government, Seplat, Sterling, the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), NOSDRA, OGFZA, financiers and representatives of host communities.

The association said the proposed meeting should go beyond presentations and focus on verifying available gas volumes, establishing the current status of the Ibom LNG Gas Hub, clarifying the regulatory pathway and setting timelines for negotiations towards a GSA.

It maintained that the project could serve as the foundation for a wider gas-based industrial cluster in Akwa Ibom, creating opportunities for power generation, fertiliser production, petrochemicals and other value-added industries.

IMEMPA said its broader objective was to ensure that Akwa Ibom’s gas resources were not merely extracted and exported as raw materials but used to stimulate industrialisation, employment and investment within the state and the wider South-South region.

“Don’t let the gas leave as a raw resource. Don’t let it vanish through the flare or vent stacks. Monetise it, process it, industrialise with it, and let that value build Akwa Ibom and the South-South,” the association said.