Nigeria’s huge natural gas reserves should be used to tackle the country’s persistent electricity crisis and improve living standards, development experts and environmental stakeholders have said, warning that energy policies must prioritize citizens and communities over commercial interests.
The stakeholders made the call on Thursday, August 20, 2026, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a programme organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in collaboration with Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN).
The programme, themed “Who Controls Our Energy? Energy Access and Social Justice,” focused on Nigeria’s energy inequality, ownership of energy resources and the social justice implications of the country’s transition to cleaner energy.
Speaking on “Mapping Our Reality – Energy: Access Inequality and Democracy,” Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton, expressed concern that Nigeria continues to waste enormous quantities of natural gas through flaring despite identifying gas as a transition fuel in its energy plans.
Bolton said Nigeria possesses more than 215 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves, with an estimated additional 600 Tcf of unproven reserves.
He said the country flared approximately 323 billion standard cubic feet of gas in 2025, representing a seven per cent increase from the previous year. The gas wasted, he added, was estimated to be worth more than $1 billion, roughly equivalent to two per cent of Nigeria’s annual budget.
According to Bolton, the continued waste is difficult to justify in a country where millions of citizens and businesses struggle with unreliable electricity.
He said the gas could be channelled into electricity generation and used to support households, small and medium-sized enterprises, transportation and industries.
“Nigeria needs the energy that gas represents to power electricity into homes for domestic use, for SMEs, for transportation and to power industries. With a very low power target in Nigeria, we are practically throwing away the gas we need to power our economy,” he said.
Beyond the economic losses, Bolton warned that gas flaring carries serious environmental, climate and public health consequences.
He said Nigeria’s energy transition should therefore not be measured simply by the quantity of resources available, but by examining who controls those resources and who has a voice in decisions concerning their distribution.
Bolton called for stronger energy democracy through community participation and ownership, affordable energy pricing, consumer protection, transparent data, public financing, local manufacturing and employment, revenue sharing and improved affordability.
Energy Should Serve Society, Not Just Markets
Executive Director of We The People, Ken Henshaw, also challenged policymakers, regulators and investors to reconsider the way energy is viewed in Nigeria.
Henshaw examined the political economy of energy ownership and access, arguing that energy should not be treated merely as another commercial venture.
He said energy is central to electricity supply, economic productivity and social development, adding that decisions about who owns and controls energy resources directly influence the ability of individuals and communities to participate in economic activities.
Resource-Rich Communities Still Left Behind
Program Director of ERA/FoEN, Kentebe Ebiaridor, highlighted what he described as one of the most troubling contradictions in Nigeria’s energy sector: communities that produce the country’s energy resources often remain among those experiencing severe energy poverty.
According to him, many oil and gas-producing communities have limited influence over the resources extracted from their territories and continue to lack adequate access to electricity.
Ebiaridor said a just energy transition must correct this imbalance by ensuring that communities share fairly in the benefits of energy development while also being protected from its environmental and social costs.
He stressed that the transition must be inclusive and leave no one behind, regardless of gender, religion, race or socioeconomic status.
Representing Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Chidie Ugwu said the programme was aimed at examining practical pathways towards a more inclusive energy system in Nigeria.
Ugwu said the discussions sought to explore how control of energy resources could gradually move beyond government institutions, corporations and investors to give citizens and communities a greater stake in energy decisions.
The stakeholders consequently called for policies that would place social justice, transparency, affordability and community participation at the centre of Nigeria’s energy transition.
They maintained that the country’s vast energy resources must translate into reliable and affordable power for citizens, while supporting economic development and protecting communities and the environment.
For the stakeholders, Nigeria’s energy challenge is no longer simply about how much energy the country possesses. It is increasingly about who controls that energy, who benefits from it and whether its enormous resources can finally be converted into meaningful development for the people.
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