The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has said although Nigeria possesses extensive gas resources, 120 million Nigerians still have energy poverty.
Sylva who said this on Monday at the pre-summit conference of the 2021 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, stated: “Nigeria’s gas reserves, with proven 203 trillion cubic feet and potential 600 Tcf, are the most extensive in Africa and in the top 10 globally.
“However, in the area of domestic utilisation of gas to power the economy, there is a chronic shortage. This is a narrative we intend to change over the next decade.”
“It is no longer acceptable that despite the country’s vast natural gas resources, the gap between electricity supply and demand is huge; access unreliable, and cost expensive.
“We must deal with energy poverty in this country. We must find a way to unlock the natural gas potential of this great nation, and drag over 120 million of our people out of energy poverty.”