Nigeria Needs $200bn Gas Investment to Boost Infrastructure, NEITI Says

|By Adejumo Adekunle –

• $20bn Annually Required for Gas Infrastructure Over 10 Years
• Senate Panel Decries Poor Solid Minerals Revenue Remittance
• Lawmakers Demand Overhaul of Extractive Sector

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has revealed that Nigeria requires a $200 billion investment in gas infrastructure to fully harness its vast gas resources. The country, ranked as the ninth-largest gas producer globally and the top in Africa, lacks the necessary infrastructure to maximize its potential.

Speaking before the Senate Public Accounts Committee, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, stressed that $20 billion must be injected yearly for a decade to develop gas pipelines across West Africa and beyond.

“Our study shows that Nigeria needs a sustained annual investment of $20 billion for 10 years to establish the gas infrastructure required to supply the entire African continent and beyond,” Dr. Orji stated.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed, expressed frustration over NEITI’s findings on the solid minerals sector. The report revealed that less than 1% of solid minerals revenue is remitted into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund—a figure the lawmakers described as alarming and unacceptable.

Senator Wadada, along with other committee members, questioned the omission of key solid mineral-producing states such as Nasarawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Plateau, and Bauchi from NEITI’s report. He further criticized the sector’s less than 1% contribution to GDP, calling for a complete overhaul to ensure proper accountability and improved revenue generation.