NNPC, SNEPCo, NCDMB Donate Geosciences Centre To UNILAG

NNPC Limited, in partnership with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), commissioned and donated the newly built UNILAG Geosciences Centre of Excellence to the University on Friday.

Purposely built to strengthen geosciences education and research in Nigeria, the Centre was inaugurated by the Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services Ltd. (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igandan, alongside the Managing Director of SNEPCo, Ronald Adams; Director of Capacity Building (NCDMB), Abayomi Bamidele; Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule; and the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Folasade Ogunsola.

The Centre boasts of a 250-seat auditorium, geoscience and instrumentation laboratories, a rock preparation workshop, hydrogeology, mineralogy, environmental geology, sedimentary and palaeoenvironmental sciences laboratories, a seismic interpretation room, a modern library, a digital museum, and collaborative spaces for students and researchers. It is also supported by a 600 kVA transformer, a 40 kVA solar power facility, and a field investigation coaster bus.

SNEPCo, NNPC

By connecting academia, industry, and government under one roof, the Centre provides Nigerian students and researchers with hands-on access to modern energy tools, reduces the oil and gas industry’s reliance on international markets for testing and training, and builds the in-country expertise Nigeria’s energy sector needs.

NNPC Limited remains committed to driving capacity building, supporting national development, and working with partners to secure a stronger energy future for Nigeria.

NNPC: Ministers Chart Course Gor West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP)

The Committee of Ministers for the West African Gas Pipeline Project met in Abuja on Friday, reaffirming its central role in West Africa’s regional energy agenda.

The meeting brought together ministers and high-level representatives from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana, alongside officials from ECOWAS, the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) and West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, who opened the meeting, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the long-term sustainability and expansion of the pipeline, adding that since its inception, the WAGP has transported over 613 million MMBtu of natural gas, with Nigeria accounting for more than 68 per cent of total volumes supplied to Benin, Togo, and Ghana.

NNPC

On his part, NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, emphasised the company’s active stewardship of Nigeria’s gas export commitments and its broader role in shaping regional energy cooperation across West Africa.

With gas throughput reaching approximately 80 million MMBtu in 2025, a 22 per cent rise on prior years, and discussions advancing on expanding pipeline capacity utilisation by 45 per cent in 2026, NNPC Limited remains at the centre of efforts to grow a credible, commercially viable regional gas market.

NITDA Partner NNPC On Digital Transformation In Energy Sector

NITDA partner NNPC. The collaboration is being championed through the research, technology and innovation unit of the NNPC.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) announced they are deepening collaboration to accelerate digital transformation in the energy sector.

The collaboration is being championed through the research, technology and innovation (RTI) unit of the NNPC.

The partnership was the focus of the engagement between the two organisations, where they explored strategies to leverage emerging technologies to reposition the nation’s energy industry on Friday in Abuja.

Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of NITDA, said this during a courtesy visit in Abuja on Friday by Olatomiwa Olaniyi, director, RTI unit of the NNPC.

He stressed the need for the NNPC to shift from its traditional dependence on oil and gas exploitation to a more innovative model.

According to Mr Inuwa, the innovative model will be anchored in the exploration of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics, among other emerging technologies.

Mr Inuwa said information technology had become a critical enabler across sectors, adding that innovation would play a key role in shaping the future of energy production, efficiency and sustainability in Nigeria.

He outlined NITDA’s strategic priorities, which include promoting digital literacy, nurturing local talent, strengthening research ecosystems, and advancing indigenous technology solutions.

According to him, reducing reliance on foreign technologies while encouraging homegrown innovation is vital to achieving digital sovereignty and sustainable economic growth.

The NITDA boss also said the agency would support NNPC in developing a robust innovation pipeline to connect the company with Nigeria’s growing startup ecosystem.

He said startups would be engaged through incubation programmes and innovation challenges to develop practical solutions tailored to the oil and gas industry.

Mr Inuwa further stated that NITDA’s initiatives aimed at fostering innovation among young Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corps.

“Many of our corps members are already creating solutions to real-world challenges through the agency’s programmes,” he said.

Mr Inuwa also said that the effective implementation of the Nigerian Startup Act would be crucial in supporting emerging technology ventures and scaling ideas into commercially viable solutions.

Mr Olaniyi said the engagement was aimed at co-creating solutions and building a strong partnership framework to accelerate innovation across the energy value chain.

NNPC

He emphasised that collaboration among government agencies, industry players and the technology ecosystem remained critical to achieving sustainable innovation.

Presenting the mandate of the RTI unit, he said its focus was on driving excellence through innovation.

According to him, this will lead to improved operational efficiency, enhanced revenue generation and support sustainable growth across NNPC’s businesses, including upstream, gas, power and new energy.