Nigeria's gas sector is showing the kind of steady, unglamorous growth that rarely makes headlines but matters enormously for the country's industrialisation ambitions.
Domestic gas sales climbed to 2.18 billion standard cubic feet per day in May as total production reached 7.93bcf/d, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission's Gas Production and Utilisation report released on Monday. The figure represents a 0.63% year-on-year increase from the 7.88bcf/d recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The composition of that output reveals a structural shift that NUPRC has been tracking for several years. A breakdown of May's production data shows that Associated Gas accounted for 3.96bcf/d, while Non-Associated Gas contributed 3.98bcf/d, meaning gas extracted independently of crude oil production has now edged ahead of gas produced as a byproduct of oil extraction, a development that reflects the maturation of dedicated gas development initiatives across the country.
The month-on-month trend was essentially flat. Gas production declined marginally by 0.12% from 7.94bcf/d recorded in April, while year-to-date production remained firm at an average of 7.87bcf/d, up from 7.82bcf/d recorded in Q1 2026, and increased further to 7.94bcf/d across April and May combined.
The domestic sales increase is the more consequential headline. The rise in local off-take, which now accounts for about 26.6% of utilisation, comes amid a modest year-on-year increase in output and a drop in export volumes, underscoring a shift toward meeting growing power and industrial demand under Nigeria's national gas agenda.
The broader flaring picture continues to improve. Nigeria utilised about 92% of the natural gas produced in the first four months of 2026, with a total of 947.78 billion standard cubic feet produced between January and April. Of that volume, 872.69 billion standard cubic feet were channelled towards domestic supply, exports, and field operations, while about 57.34 billion standard cubic feet were flared.
The growth ambition embedded in Nigeria's gas policy remains far more aggressive than current output suggests is achievable on the current trajectory. The country has reaffirmed a target of delivering up to 12 billion cubic feet of gas per day into the market by 2030, meaning production would need to grow by more than 50% from current levels within the next four years. Indigenous gas producer Tony Attah confirmed the company is aiming for 3bcf/d by 2030, having already exceeded internal targets, and infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline, are now 93% complete. The kind of midstream delivery that will need to accelerate sharply if Nigeria's 12bcf/d ambition is to move from policy target to operational reality.
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