President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government will soon commence the construction of the 600-kilometre Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline which will move gas from the Southern part of the country to the North.
President Buhari said this on Friday while addressing the 5th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit themed “Natural Gas – Energy for Sustainable Development” at the Sipopo International Conference Hall, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The president, who described the theme of the summit as most appropriate in a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, said the viability of extending the gas pipeline to North Africa was also under consideration.
He said the one-day meeting was “taking place at a critical juncture as global energy supply is transitioning from hydrocarbons to renewables.”
Buhari, who said the Paris Accord of 2015 signalled the first major global commitment to a deliberate effort on the inevitable transition, stressed that “Nigeria is proud to be one of the first signatories” to the historic agreement.
The president, who explained why Nigeria and GECF members were focusing on gas development, said,
“We are mindful of the energy deficit in the developing world especially, here in Africa where we have nearly 600 million people without access to modern energy. As responsible leaders, it is our duty to preserve the environment not only for the present but for future generations.
“We can achieve this balance between our energy deficit and environmental preservation needs by developing and deploying new technologies. Although classified as fossil fuel, natural gas is a viable solution to both our energy and environmental challenges.”
President Buhari, who said “natural gas has the added advantage of availability and affordability,” added that, “to fully leverage this potential, nations need to pool resources to put up trans-border and trans-regional energy infrastructure.”
He said Nigeria had led the way by the construction of the West Africa Gas Pipeline “which runs through four West African countries.”
President Buhari also lauded the foresight of the founding fathers of the GECF “in promoting natural gas in the global energy mix.”
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who declared the Summit open as the host, called on members of the GECF to continue to work in harmony towards the realisation of the objectives of the multinational organisation.
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