NNPC Ltd hails Tinubu on Ekperikpo, Mshelbila’s emergence as Chairman, Secretary General of GECF –GBN

Aerial view of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant at Bonny Island in Rivers State on March 22, 2013. Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has threatened to shut down production in April for nine days in the entire Nembe Creek Truck Line (NCTL) to remove a number of bunkering points on pipelines vandalised by oil thieves in the region. "Whenever we observe a spill, or have a spill on our lines, we shut down production to depressurize and isolate the line, only then can we safely repare our lines because it is then safe to manipulate the line", said Jurgen Jonzen, SPDC corporate pipeline asset manager. Last year, 157 bunkering points were removed and 116 were leaking on the whole SPDC exploitation. Since 2009, SPDC has exprienced an upsurge in vandalisation of pipeline network by criminals causing severe environmental devastation of the region and forcing the company to lose 60 000 barrels daily this year. AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI

The NNPC Ltd has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his role in the emergence of Nigeria’s candidate, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, the Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Ltd, as the new Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

It described the appointment as a historic moment for Nigeria and a testimony to the Federal Government’s Gas Agenda aimed at utilising natural gas as a major fuel for industrial growth and economic development.

Mshelbila, who was elected at the Forum’s 27th Ministerial Meeting held in Doha, Qatar on Thursday, succeeds Algeria’s Mohamed Hamel as the 5th scribe of the global organisation, which has been a leading voice in positioning natural gas as a cornerstone of global sustainable development.

Speaking on the milestone, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said: “NNPC Ltd is proud of what Mshelbila has achieved at Nigeria LNG, where he has worked tirelessly to transform Nigeria’s vast gas reserves into export-grade LNG, LPG, and condensates, serving domestic needs and global markets in the process,” he said.

“With this feat, Philip Mshelbila has put Nigeria on the global energy map for good. This shows that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s gas to prosperity agenda aimed at utilising natural gas as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s industrial growth, energy security, and economic transformation is on the right trajectory,” Ojulari added.

He further assured that with Mshelbila at the helm of GECF, Africa, Nigeria and indeed the NNPC Ltd will witness a remarkable progress in the quest to make natural gas the pivotal resource for inclusive and sustainable development.

The GCEO also congratulated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, on his emergence as President of the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting, saying the minister had been at the forefront of championing efforts to harness Nigeria’s abundant gas resources for industrialisation and economic development.

The GECF is an international intergovernmental organisation that provides a platform for the exchange of experience and information among its Member Countries.

Representing the world’s leading gas-exporting nations, the GECF aims to foster constructive dialogue between gas producers and consumers to enhance the stability and security of global gas supply and demand.

The organisation’s membership includes Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

It also has observer members in Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal.

Collectively, the GECF member countries hold 69% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves, account for 39% of marketed production, contribute 40% of global gas exports, and represent 51% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.