…As Mbah identifies four untapped Enugu gas fields
President Bola Tinubu has reiterated federal Government ‘s commitment to unlocking the South-East’s vast industrial potential with a proposed 400-kilometre gas distribution pipeline designed to connect five states, cut energy costs, attract investments and create jobs, declaring that the region must move beyond promises to tangible economic development.
He spoke on Tuesday in Enugu at the launch of the South-East Gas Distribution Pipeline Infrastructure Project. The president said reliable energy infrastructure was critical to building a competitive economy, strengthening manufacturing and converting the region’s natural resources into prosperity for its people
Gov Mbah
The project, initiated by the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) through the South-East Investment Company (SEIC), in partnership with Gas Sync and NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NNPC NGML), proposes a pipeline network connecting the ANOH Gas Processing Plant in Imo State to major industrial and commercial centres across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
When implemented, the initiative is expected to improve access to gas, stimulate industrial production, encourage new investments and strengthen economic activities across the region.
Represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, the president described energy security as a central component of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, urging investors, manufacturers and industrialists to take advantage of the economic opportunities available in the South-East.
“Energy infrastructure will reduce costs, create jobs and expand opportunities. Nigeria has substantial gas resources, and the South-East has its fair share, but we must use them to create jobs and prosperity for our people,” Tinubu said.
Ugochukwu Agbala
He stressed that manufacturers should not be compelled to spend more on generating electricity than on expanding their businesses, insisting that infrastructure must be developed to support enterprise, industrial production and economic growth.
“The prosperity of the region is inseparable from the prosperity of the entire country. We cannot achieve our full economic potential when any region operates below its economic potential,” he said.
Tinubu’s remarks underscored the importance of addressing the South-East’s energy challenges as a necessary step towards unlocking its industrial capacity, improving business competitiveness and creating a more favourable environment for local and foreign investments.
In his speech, the Governor of Enugu state, Dr Peter Mbah said inadequate energy supply and poor connectivity had remained major obstacles to industrial development across the region, increasing production costs, limiting business expansion and weakening the competitiveness of enterprises.
He expressed optimism that the proposed pipeline would help address these challenges while opening new opportunities for young people to establish businesses, pursue innovative ventures and secure employment within the region rather than travel elsewhere in search of jobs.
Mbah highlighted the economic potential of the region’s growing pool of graduates, noting that Enugu State alone had more than 20 tertiary institutions producing graduates annually.
“Enugu State alone has more than 20 tertiary institutions graduating young people annually,” he said, stressing that reliable energy would enable them to transform their ideas into viable enterprises.
The governor also drew attention to the region’s untapped natural gas resources, revealing that Enugu State alone had four gas fields yet to be exploited.
“Enugu alone has four gas fields that remain unexploited. This shows the massive opportunities we have, and we also have reserves in other states. We cannot wait to see the project become a reality,” Mbah said.
He commended Tinubu for supporting the establishment of the SEDC, describing the commission as an important institutional intervention aimed at addressing the South-East’s industrial development needs and promoting economic prosperity.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission was committed to promoting inclusive prosperity and creating economic development opportunities across the five states.
Okoye also proposed the establishment of a South-East Oil and Gas Week to bring together industry operators, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders to examine investment opportunities and address challenges in the oil and gas sector.
The proposed initiative, he said, would provide a platform for stronger collaboration and help deepen investment interest in the region’s energy industry.
In their goodwill messages respectively, The Deputy Governors of Ebonyi, Anambra and Imo states, Princess Patricia Onyemaechi, Dr Gilbert Ibezim and Chinyere Ihuoma, respectively, commended the SEDC for initiating the project and pledged their states’ cooperation towards its successful implementation.
Speaking with Newsmen, chairman of the subcommittee on Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Development, Ugochukwu Agbala,described the project as a major step towards accelerating economic development in the South-East, stressing that reliable energy supply was fundamental to industrialisation.
According to him, energy must come first in any serious plan to develop the region’s industrial capacity, noting that the South-East had a rich history of pioneering gas infrastructure in Nigeria.
He recalled that before 1963, the administration of the late president of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, , late Premier of the south east region, Dr Michael Okpara facilitated the development of a 10-kilometre gas pipeline from Port Harcourt to Aba.
He regretted that, despite this early initiative, the South-East had been left out of successive national gas development plans over the years. Agbalexpressed optimism that the new project could turn the region’s historical exclusion into an opportunity to build a more comprehensive and evenly distributed gas pipeline network.
“If this plan comes into effect, the South-East will be the only sub-region with an effective and evenly distributed gas pipeline network,” Agbala said.
He commended Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, describing the initiative as an opportunity for the region to mobilise its resources and work with the Federal Government to deliver transformative infrastructure.
Agbala said the proposed 400-kilometre gas pipeline network would cover the entire South-East, creating opportunities for industrial expansion and stronger economic integration across the five states.
He added that the region was partnering with the Federal Government and relevant gas-sector stakeholders to advance the project, stressing that cooperation between the public and private sectors would be essential to its successful implementation.
The pipeline project is expected to improve access to gas for industrial and commercial users, potentially reducing dependence on more expensive energy sources and enhancing the competitiveness of businesses operating in the region.
The proposed infrastructure represents a significant opportunity to connect the South-East’s natural gas resources with its industrial and commercial needs. By improving access to energy, the project could help lower operating costs, encourage manufacturing, support business expansion and create employment opportunities for the region’s youthful population.
