The Federal Government has announced strategic efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s local energy supply chain, aiming to shield the country from mounting global uncertainties that have increasingly disrupted cross-border energy operations.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers in Lagos, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, emphasized the need to reduce reliance on international supply chains.
“On the matter of supply chain, we recognise the multifaceted challenges – trade wars, sanctions, currency instability, regional conflicts, and security concerns. These disruptions have affected the flow of goods and services across borders,” Lokpobiri stated.
He stressed that while international partnerships remain crucial, Nigeria must now prioritize local capacity-building and resilience to protect its energy sector from future shocks. These efforts, he said, align with President Bola Tinubu’s broader vision of repositioning the country as a leading hub for energy investments.
“The Federal Government, under the leadership of President Tinubu, has pursued deliberate and investment-friendly policies aimed at positioning Nigeria as the leading destination of energy investors,” Lokpobiri said, citing the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as a key driver of recent liberalisation and improved investor confidence.
He highlighted the administration’s achievements, including increased foreign engagements and collaborations, driven by executive orders and strategic incentives designed to attract both local and international partners.
As part of ongoing reforms to deepen Nigeria’s technical expertise in the sector, Lokpobiri also announced the establishment of a postgraduate energy university in Kaduna, developed in partnership with three leading British universities.
“In line with our transnational education policy, we are partnering with three of the United Kingdom’s top universities to expand our field of specialised energy professionals, developing homegrown expertise in global-based practices,” he said.
The minister concluded his address with a call to action, urging energy stakeholders, ranging from industry experts and investors to policymakers and scholars, to work together in building a sustainable, resilient, and profitable energy future for Nigeria.
“Let us leverage technology for innovation and profitability, strengthen our supply chains, develop our local and international human capital, and continue to foster a stable, environment-friendly, investment-friendly environment that this administration is committed to sustaining,” he added.
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