Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to advancing the Brass Gas Projects as part of efforts to industrialise Nigeria through gas utilisation.
Speaking at a two-day All-Party Stakeholders Workshop on the Brass Projects in Abuja, Ekpo said the Brass Methanol Plant, Gas Processing Plant, and the Brass Free Zone Infrastructure will collectively form the nucleus of the proposed Brass Oil and Gas City in Bayelsa State.
“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) remains fully committed to supporting the Brass Projects through policy facilitation, regulatory coordination, and stakeholder engagement,” Ekpo said. “We are particularly focused on ensuring that frameworks such as gas supply and offtake agreements, licensing, and infrastructure integration are streamlined and bankable.”
He tasked participants to focus on actionable outcomes, defining clear responsibilities, closing gaps, and producing a roadmap toward achieving full financial close and project take-off.
Ekpo stressed that the successful realisation of the Brass Projects would not only advance Nigeria’s gas industrialisation agenda but also deliver tangible benefits to the Niger Delta region through job creation, infrastructure development, and community empowerment.
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He commended the synergy among key partners — Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Renaissance Joint Venture, Afreximbank, and other financiers — for their sustained collaboration toward bringing the project to fruition.
Significantly, all key stakeholders — including NNPC Ltd., Renaissance JV, Bayelsa State Government, Host Communities, Trafigura (the product offtaker), and the EPC contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) — reiterated their unwavering support for the Brass Gas Projects, pledging to work collaboratively toward achieving financial close and timely project execution.
Ebieri Jones, commissioner for trade, industry and investment, Bayelsa state who represented Governor Douye Diri at the event, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to providing a peaceful and investor-friendly environment for the successful execution of the Brass Projects.
He noted that the government’s support for the initiative is anchored on the projects’ vast potential to create employment opportunities for citizens and to stimulate broad socio-economic growth and development across the state.
In his remarks, Ben Okoye, the managing director of Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Ltd commended the Federal Government for its renewed drive, noting that the Brass Methanol and Gas Processing Plants will generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, foster technology transfer, and stimulate ancillary industries across the Niger Delta.
He described the project as a model of productive partnership between government, private investors, and host communities, urging all parties to remain steadfast in achieving early completion.
