At a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling with power shortages and rising energy costs, the country has flared its highest amount of natural gas in four years. This waste is not just an economic loss, it’s a missed opportunity to provide affordable energy to homes and businesses.
Gas That Could Have Powered Millions Is Burnt Instead
According to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigeria flared 300.5 million standard cubic feet (mscf) of gas in 2024, the highest since 2020. That gas, worth $1.1 billion, could have powered homes, fuelled industries, and eased Nigeria’s reliance on expensive diesel generators.
Instead, it was burned off into the air, adding 16 million tonnes of carbon emissions that pollute the environment and worsen climate change. Meanwhile, the penalties collected for flaring stood at just $601.1 million, meaning Nigeria lost over half of what could have been revenue.
Why Is Gas Still Being Wasted?
Gas flaring happens when oil companies burn off excess gas instead of processing and using it. This is common in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where communities near oil fields suffer from heat, pollution, and toxic fumes.
According to Jide Pratt, Country Manager of TradeGrid, many companies flare gas simply because it’s cheaper to burn than to capture and transport. He suggested that Nigeria increase the penalty for flaring beyond the current $2 per 1,000 standard cubic feet (scf) to make it more costly for companies to waste gas.
How This Affects Everyday Nigerians
For many Nigerians, energy costs keep rising, yet a resource that could make power cheaper is being wasted.
“If they used that gas properly, we wouldn’t have to rely so much on generators,“ said Ibrahim Musa, a shop owner in Lagos who spends thousands of naira weekly on fuel.
Similarly, Grace Okafor, a mother of three in Port Harcourt, shared how high cooking gas prices have affected her family.
“We now use firewood sometimes because gas is too expensive. But imagine this country is flaring gas instead of making it available to us!”
What Is the Government Doing?
Nigeria has laws against gas flaring under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which criminalises flaring unless it’s for safety reasons or during emergencies. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) are supposed to enforce these rules.
The Gas Flaring, Venting, and Methane Emissions Regulations 2023 also set limits on how much gas can be flared, but enforcement remains weak.
The Way Forward
Experts say Nigeria needs to invest in gas infrastructure to stop flaring and put the gas to better use. Projects like the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline could help deliver gas to homes and industries, but progress has been slow.
According to Preye Orodu, Lead Engineer at KEOT Synergy, Nigeria’s gas market has huge potential, especially for cooking gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles, and gas-to-chemical industries. However, small companies that won contracts to process flare gas struggle with financing, making it hard to turn plans into reality.
Meanwhile, starting 1 January 2025, the NUPRC has made it mandatory for oil companies applying for licences to show plans for reducing carbon emissions and using renewable energy.
Nigeria has more than enough gas to meet its energy needs, but poor planning and enforcement mean much of it is wasted. If the government and private sector can work together to harness this resource, power supply could improve, pollution could be reduced, and billions of dollars in revenue could be saved.
Until then, ordinary Nigerians will continue to bear the cost of energy shortages while the flames of wasted gas light up the sky.
