By Ayomide Otitoju
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has stated that Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd are set to record significant progress in positioning natural gas as a pivotal driver of inclusive and sustainable national development.
Ojulari made this known while congratulating Dr. Philip Mshelbila, Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), on his election as the new Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). He described Mshelbila’s emergence as a landmark achievement that reinforces Nigeria’s growing influence in the global gas industry.
He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his instrumental role in supporting Mshelbila’s candidacy, describing the development as “a historic moment for Nigeria and a strong validation of the Federal Government’s Gas Agenda.”
Mshelbila was elected during the 27th Ministerial Meeting of the GECF held in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, succeeding Algeria’s Mohamed Hamel as the fifth Secretary General of the international organisation. The GECF serves as a platform for cooperation among the world’s leading gas-exporting nations and promotes natural gas as a key component of global sustainable development.
Ojulari lauded Mshelbila’s record at Nigeria LNG, where he has championed the transformation of Nigeria’s vast gas reserves into export-grade LNG, LPG, and condensates, meeting both domestic and international energy needs.
“Philip Mshelbila has firmly placed Nigeria on the global energy map,” Ojulari said. “His election underscores the success of President Tinubu’s ‘Gas to Prosperity’ agenda, which seeks to make natural gas the foundation of Nigeria’s industrial growth, energy security, and economic transformation.”
The NNPC boss also congratulated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, on his election as President of the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting, acknowledging his leadership in advancing Nigeria’s gas-driven industrialisation efforts.
The GECF, an international intergovernmental organisation, facilitates cooperation and information exchange among member states to enhance global gas market stability and energy security.
Its member countries include Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela, with observer members such as Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal.
Collectively, GECF members hold 69 percent of the world’s proven natural gas reserves, account for 39 percent of marketed production, contribute 40 percent of global gas exports, and represent 51 percent of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
