The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has called on industries in the country, particularly large consumers of petroleum products, to transit from diesel to gas.

The NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed made the call at a one-day stakeholders engagement on gas utilisation in Nigeria held in Kano on Monday.

Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, said there was an urgent need for large consumers of diesel to embrace the use of gas, which has been designated as the country’s transition fuel.

He noted that it was in this regard that the Federal Government had put in place various initiatives and policy frameworks, including the natural gas expansion programme and the decade gas expansion programme.

“The authority empowered by Petroleum Industry Act (2021) is poised to enable the growth of the industry. The 12 regulations recently gazetted unlock the golden opportunities and signpost the pathway to energy security,” he said.