Nigeria's Gas Wealth Can Drive Industrialisation and Jobs, Expert Warns

Nigeria's natural gas resources can drive industrialisation and create jobs if harnessed properly, according to Ololade Olamide, a Principal Engineer at a major United States liquefied natural gas facility.

Olamide spoke at the Nigerian Society of Engineers conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he presented a paper titled Avoiding the Crude Oil Trap: Using LNG Governance to Build Community and Industrial Opportunity in Lower Southern Nigeria.

Nigeria has more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves but only uses about 22 million tonnes annually for liquefied natural gas capacity. The engineer warned that if gas development is limited to extraction and export without establishing strong industrial linkages, the country may repeat the experience of crude oil.

Olamide proposed developing an industrial corridor in Lower Southern Nigeria, stretching from Calabar and Akwa Ibom through Port Harcourt and Warri to the Lagos-Ogun industrial belt. This would involve infrastructure such as the West African Gas Pipeline, coastal transport corridors, rail links, and deep-sea ports.