Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia
The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) and Nasarawa State government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply of gas to industries and investors in Nasarawa State.
The MoU for the gas supply to Nasarawa State was signed in Lafia, at the Nasarawa business roundtable organised to explore investment in opportunities in the gas sector.
The signing of the MoU ceremony was witnessed by the state Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule; Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari; Group Executive Director Gas & Power, NNPC Ltd, Mallam Mohammed Abdulkabir Ahmed; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Axxela- Mr. Bolaji Osunsanya etc.
The NNPC Group Managing Director provided pictorial evidence of the progress made with respect to the AKK Pipeline and emphasised that Nasarawa State was uniquely positioned to maximise value from the AKK Pipeline as well as gas-based business opportunities.
Kyari highlighted and appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari’s unwavering commitment to utilise gas as a major tool to drive economic development.
Participants at the meeting commended the NNPC boss and current management for their accountability, transparency and forthrightness.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of GACN, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, said the gas supply collaboration sets out a clear framework through which investors and projects in Nasarawa State would access gas immediately via Virtual Pipeline Solutions (CNG & LNG) ahead of th completion of the AKK Pipeline project.
“This is a major step in the federal government’s Gas Utilisation Expansion drive being facilitated vigorously by NNPC and GACN.
“This MoU sets out clear deliverables that are time bound based on securing Gas both on short, medium and long term basis on competitive terms.
“As could be recalled, similar MoUs were signed with Kano and Kaduna States a few months ago, and those engagements have now been progressed to Gas Supply Agreement negotiation stage.
“Evidently, NNPC’s management continues to drive the commercialisation of gas resources as a national economic development issue, while GACN and other NNPC subsidiaries like NGMC, NGC have clear cut roles and responsibilities to deliver concrete progress and value,” the GACN MD explained.
Also speaking, Sule appealed to the indigenes of Nasarawa State to key into the respective opportunities across the gas value chain such as gas distribution, CNG Stations, captive/embedded power generation, LPG marketing, gas flare commercialisation etc.
