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“We have gone back to the drawing board to come up with a robust timeline, where we will actualise some of it. Federal Government has said it would end gas flaring by 2020, but the United Nations’ deadline is 2030. Not all the flare sites will go by 2020″
Federal government announces disappointment to achieve its 2020 target on operation zero gas flaring in the Niger Delta, barely five months todeadline, not all gas flare sites would go next year.
Mr. Justice Derefaka, Programme Manager, Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), said this in Abuja during the unveiling of a documentary, produced by Africa Initiative for Transparency, Accountability and Responsible Leadership on the impact of the country’s corruption and growing conflict on investment on the nation’s economy.
While Dr. Maikanti Baru, the former Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) announced that the nation would achieve zero gas faring next year, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, insisted Federal Government’s target to ensure Nigeria exits the practice of flaring gas next year remained.
The programme manager, who requested for a change of timeline as directed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, admitted that the government was experiencing slips even as the projected timeframe draws near,
In his words: “We have gone back to the drawing board to come up with a robust timeline, where we will actualise some of it. Federal Government has said it would end gas flaring by 2020, but the United Nations’ deadline is 2030. Not all the flare sites will go by 2020. Some will go next year and the rest after.
“The reason is that we are not looking to construct long pipelines. But we are looking at scalable technology that can be used to harness flare…” he said.
Derefaka further disclosed that the government’s gas commercialisation plan would sustainably create value around gas flaring to enable the government to generate revenue, save lives, and the environment.
He noted that the government is looking at investment targeting around $3.5bn, including 300, 000 direct and indirect jobs through the gas commercialisation plan.
Meanwhile, other stakeholders that gathered at the event expressed fear over the huge impact of the country’s corruption and growing conflict on investment. They said unless urgent measures were taken, the challenges in the nation’s economic indexes and dangers facing the oil-producing region may persist.
