Reforms In Oil, Gas Sector Pivotal To Nigeria’s Growth Beyond 2027—Varsity Don

A university don, Professor Usman Mohammed of the Department of Political Science and International Studies, Kaduna State University, has described the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector as crucial to the nation’s economic recovery and long-term prosperity.

Mohammed urged citizens to support the drive toward transparency, efficiency, and national self-reliance.

Delivering a paper titled “Amplifying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda Through Excellence in Regulatory Frameworks and Upstream Oil and Gas Performance as a Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Prosperity Beyond 2027” at the First Citizens Connect Conference – Nigeria in Kaduna on Monday, the political-science scholar said regulatory excellence and production optimisation were vital if Nigeria was to achieve inclusive growth.

“Regulatory excellence, anchored on transparency, efficiency and accountability, can enhance investor confidence, drive technological innovation and improve energy-sector governance,” Mohammed said.

The conference brought together youths, academics, policymakers, traditional rulers, and civil-society actors from across the North-West zone to deliberate on the future of the country’s economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to Mohammed, Nigeria’s energy endowment — an estimated 37 billion barrels of crude oil and 209 trillion cubic feet of gas — remains underutilised due to inefficiency, subsidy distortions, and weak institutional oversight.

“The energy and natural resources sector has been both a blessing and a burden. For too long, leakages, weak regulation, and poor coordination have limited our national potential,” he said.

He identified the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 as a major milestone that reshaped the oil and gas landscape by creating two dedicated regulators—the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA)—to ensure clarity between policy, regulation, and operations.

“The PIA changed our trajectory, offering a legal, fiscal, and institutional rebirth for Nigeria’s most strategic sector. But laws alone are not enough — implementation and enforcement are the true tests of reform,” he added.

He lamented that despite reforms, Nigeria’s crude-oil production averaged just 1.4 million barrels per day in 2024, far below its OPEC quota, largely because of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and decaying infrastructure.

“Merely producing oil is no longer enough. What matters is efficient management of the upstream sector and judicious use of revenues to drive industrialisation and job creation,” Mohammed warned.

Mohammed recommended several policy measures to consolidate the gains of the PIA, including full operationalisation of the regulatory agencies, adoption of digital monitoring systems, rehabilitation of pipelines and export terminals, incentives for gas monetisation, and stronger local-content enforcement.

“Regulatory excellence without macroeconomic discipline cannot deliver prosperity. We must align oil-sector reforms with fiscal stability, exchange-rate management, and anti-corruption efforts,” he added.

The don also urged Nigerians to protect the nation’s sovereignty by supporting reforms in good faith and resisting foreign manipulation disguised as partnership.

“The strength of our sovereignty lies in our unity and our capacity to debate, reform and rebuild within—not by surrendering our autonomy to others who neither share our struggles nor our aspirations,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the co-convener of the conference, Mallam Nasir Abdulquadri, said the Citizens Connect Conference was conceived as a civic innovation to bridge the gap between leadership and the people and to promote inclusive policy dialogue across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

“Governance is not the duty of government alone but the responsibility of all who call Nigeria home,” Abdulquadri told participants.

He described Kaduna as a symbolic venue for the North-West edition, being the political and intellectual heart of Northern Nigeria.

“Kaduna stands as a bridge between history and modern governance. Hosting this edition here underscores the region’s central role in driving Nigeria’s reform agenda,” he said.

Abdulquadri commended President Tinubu for building on the PIA framework through bold steps such as subsidy removal and deregulation, which, though painful, were necessary to restore long-term economic stability.

“The President has shown uncommon courage by implementing policies that are steering Nigeria toward sustainability. Deregulation has begun to open space for private investment, refinery rehabilitation, and modular refining across regions,” he said.

He cautioned against external interference and divisive politics, adding, “True partnership is welcome; manipulation is not. A nation can correct itself without collapsing itself.” ENDS.

Photos of participants at the First Citizens Connect Conference – Nigeria in Kaduna on Monday. Photo credit: Godwin Isenyo