From Adewale Sanyaolu, Calgary, Canada
The Federal Government yesterday said Alberta has pledged to support Nigeria towards the development of its gas infrastructure, especially trunk and distribution pipelines across the country.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Gabriel Aduda, disclosed this during an interview with Daily Sun on the sidelines of the ongoing World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Canada with the theme ‘‘Energy Transition: The Path to Net-Zero.
‘’One of the things that we discussed earlier yesterday with the Alberta Premier, Canada, Daniella Smith,was fruitful around collaboration to develop our gas assets in Nigeria, especially, trunks and distribution pipelines which is something that we need now.
It is one thing for you to produce the gas and it’s a completely different thing for you to transport the gas to where it is needed and required, and that is something that l think the government of President Bola Tinubu is committed to doing which is how do we get this gas out where it is needed.
That is the same massage we have brought, and between now and Friday we will be meeting with few investors, especially those that build the pipelines across Alberta, Canada and America.
So, we have had discussions and meetings with them to see how they can come back home and help us build our lines,’’.
Aduda said for the Nigeria to be able to deliver on its energy transition plans, it must have strong footings on a three tripod which included; financing, technology transfer and infrastructure in order to meet its net-zero target by 2060.
The Permanent Secretary insisted that we do not need to pressure ourselves into attaining net-zero but rather come up with a framework that works for Nigeria which will allow our resources that we have now take us to where we want to be.
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He maintained that Nigeria having identified gas as its transition fuel, and we have put the decade of gas ahead of us as a framework for us to be able to develop and also ensure the domestic injection of gas in every home, factory and industry across Nigeria.
Not only that, he said the policy is also to ensure distribution across out of Nigeria to feed others because this is a resource we have in abundance, saying for us to be able to do that, there is need for huge financial outlay.
‘‘One of the massages we have come with to WPC which we hope we will achieve at the end of the day is to be able to gather investors that will see the business opportunities in Nigeria.
That will also see that Nigeria is actually ready to do business because the Petroleum Industry Act(PIA) has opened the doors that we need in addition to the sector being liberalized so that more players can now come across the world,’’.
On divestment of assets, Aduda argued that divestment is not a bad thing in itself, because divestment from one end is an opportunity to the other.
He stated that the divested assets are a goldmine because it is not as if the assets are left idle but rather, investors are rushing them for takes.
‘‘The truth of the matter is that, once the business place is right, there will always be funding for whatever project you bring in the area of oil and gas.
So it’s nothing to be worried about, and at the end of the day all you can see is that this has been taken off by those who think and who can run the process actually.
So, all we need are capable operators. The moment you are capable, there is no assets that is a waste,’’.