Tinubu orders NLNG to end gas flaring after Nigeria wasted 203.9bn scf in 2025
President Bola Tinubu charged NLNG management to convert Nigeria's gas reserves into domestic economic benefits after the country flared 203.9 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas in 2025. Speaking at State House on Wednesday per adviser Bayo Onanuga, he urged NLNG to stop treating flaring as inevitable and instead harness gas for local consumers' benefit.
NLNG MD Engineer Adeleye Falade revealed the company has generated over $150 billion since inception, with Nigeria's 49% stake yielding about $47 billion in dividends. Despite this, NUPRC data shows 2025 gas production reached 2.71 trillion scf—1.46 trillion associated and 1.25 trillion non-associated—of which 2.50 trillion scf was utilized. The flared 203.9 billion scf represented 7.54% of total production, up from 192.9 billion scf in 2024.
Gas flaring wastes economic value (Nigeria forgoes nearly half of NLNG's profits), fuels greenhouse gas emissions, and pollutes host communities. While Falade noted all LPG (cooking gas) production already serves the domestic market, the President emphasized broader domestication: 'help us back home' by directing more gas to local use rather than export or waste.
With Nigeria ranking among top global gas-flarers despite 92% overall utilization, will this directive translate to cheaper cooking gas, reliable power for households, or tangible revenue reinvestment in Niger Delta communities—or will 2026 see another rise in wasted resources?