Tinubu Asks ICRC To Lead Nat’l Gas Project Without Public Funding

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Com­mission (ICRC) to oversee the implementation of the Federal Government’s National Gas In­frastructure Command Centre (NGCC) strictly under a pub­lic-private partnership (PPP) framework, with no public funding or contingent liability to the government, https://independent.ng reported.

The directive was disclosed by the Director-General of the ICRC, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, during the inaugural meeting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) for the NGCC.

Ifeanyi Nwoko, Head, Media and Publicity, in a statement on Monday quoted Ewalefoh to have said the president’s ap­proval clearly stipulates that the project must be fully financed by the private sector proponent without recourse to government funds or sovereign guarantees.

He noted that the commis­sion would ensure strict com­pliance with established PPP procedures and regulatory safeguards throughout the im­plementation process.

According to him, the NGCC, conceived as a strategic national platform for real-time monitor­ing and coordination of Nige­ria’s gas infrastructure, must pass through a structured PPP framework to ensure feasibility, proper risk allocation, afford­ability and long-term sustain­ability.

“Technology alone does not guarantee viability. Automation in itself does not make a project bankable. Every proposal must pass through a structured PPP framework that rigorously tests feasibility, risk allocation, afford­ability and sustainability before implementation proceeds,” Ewalefoh said.

He added that public inter­est, value for money, financial prudence and strict regulatory compliance would guide every stage of the project.

The ICRC boss stressed that although the NGCC is of stra­tegic importance to Nigeria’s energy architecture, this does not override the need for dis­ciplined project preparation and adherence to regulatory requirements.

The NGCC, approved as a PPP initiative, is expected to pro­vide centralised operational co­ordination across Nigeria’s gas value chain, strengthen emer­gency response management and enhance transparency in gas infrastructure operations.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, inaugu­rated the Project Steering Com­mittee and the Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) to drive implementation of the initiative in line with the presidential di­rective.

Members of the PSC include representatives from the Min­istry of Petroleum Resources (Gas), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMD­PRA), the Nigerian National Pe­troleum Company Limited, the ICRC and the project promoter.

The Joint Technical Working Group comprises technical, le­gal and institutional represen­tatives from relevant agencies and the private proponent, and is tasked with advancing prepa­ratory processes in compliance with PPP regulatory require­ments.