By NEWSCOUNT Desk
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has criticised the Federal Government over the exclusion of Anambra and the wider South-East from Nigeria’s Gas Master Plan, arguing that the region cannot achieve its industrial ambitions without adequate attention to the natural resources beneath its soil.
Soludo made the position known through the state’s Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, at a Nigerian Content Capacity Building Workshop for Media Stakeholders organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Awka on October 15, 2026.
The governor said Anambra was estimated to hold about 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, representing approximately 15 per cent of Nigeria’s total gas reserves. He expressed concern that the state and the entire South-East had not received adequate consideration in the country’s gas development plans.
“It is sad that Anambra is sitting on one of the biggest gas reserves in Nigeria, if not in Africa; and, yet, Nigeria’s gas master plan excluded Anambra State and the entire South-East. I don’t know if the board is aware of this,” he said.
Soludo maintained that the state’s natural resources should translate into tangible economic benefits for its people, particularly through reliable electricity, industrial development, employment and investment.
He stressed that access to gas would be essential to powering industries, supporting businesses and attracting investors to Anambra, which has a strong commercial base and a growing demand for reliable energy.
The governor also drew attention to Anambra’s position as an oil-producing state, lamenting that the state had yet to benefit sufficiently from its petroleum endowment.
He said the situation required critical examination to ensure that the resources contributed meaningfully to the state’s economic development.
The history of oil exploration in the Anambra Basin shows that petroleum exploration in the region dates back several decades. Companies, including Shell-BP, Elf and Agip, undertook exploration activities in the basin between the 1950s and 1980s. Although some early exploration efforts were abandoned, subsequent activities continued to establish the area’s oil and gas potential.
A significant milestone came in 1967, when liquid hydrocarbons were discovered in the basin. Further exploration identified oil and gas prospects in several locations, although discoveries did not immediately translate into large-scale commercial production.
The emergence of Orient Petroleum Resources marked another important stage in the development of the region’s petroleum resources. The indigenous company operates in the Anambra Basin under oil prospecting licences OPL 915 and OPL 916.
In February 2017, Orient Petroleum and First Modular Gas Systems Limited signed an agreement for the development of the first phase of a gas processing plant at the Anambra River oil and gas field. The project was intended to support the commercialisation of gas resources and reduce gas flaring.
Anambra’s petroleum production has also featured in official industry records. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s 2024 annual report recorded approximately 4.78 million barrels of crude oil and condensate attributed to the state between November 2023 and September 2024.
The figures underline the importance of the state’s petroleum resources, although the scale of commercial production, infrastructure development and benefits accruing to host communities remain significant issues.
The Anambra Basin extends beyond the boundaries of Anambra State, and individual oil fields and petroleum licences may cover areas beyond the state. Nevertheless, the history of exploration and reported production has kept the state’s oil and gas potential firmly on the national development agenda.
Soludo urged the relevant authorities to give Anambra and the South-East their rightful place in Nigeria’s gas development plans, insisting that the region’s oil and gas resources should contribute meaningfully to industrial growth, job creation and economic development.
