The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, has lauded President Bola Tinubu for his pivotal role in the emergence of Nigeria’s candidate, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited, as the new Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, GECF.
The Company, in a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, described Mshelbila’s election at the 27th GECF Ministerial Meeting in Doha, Qatar, as a historic milestone that underscores Nigeria’s leadership in the global gas industry and the Federal Government’s commitment to the Gas-to-Prosperity Agenda.
Mshelbila succeeds Algeria’s Mohamed Hamel as the fifth Secretary General of the intergovernmental organisation that champions natural gas as a key driver of global sustainable development.
Speaking on the development, NNPC Ltd.’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said the company is proud of Mshelbila’s achievements at Nigeria LNG, where he has worked to transform the nation’s vast gas resources into export-grade LNG, LPG, and condensates serving both domestic and international markets.
“With this feat, Dr. Philip Mshelbila has placed Nigeria firmly on the global energy map. It also validates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s gas-to-prosperity vision, which positions natural gas as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s industrial growth, energy security, and economic transformation,” he said.
Ojulari further assured that Mshelbila’s leadership at GECF would usher in renewed momentum for Nigeria, Africa, and the global gas community in promoting natural gas as a catalyst for sustainable development.
The GCEO also congratulated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Gas, Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, on his emergence as President of the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting, acknowledging his tireless efforts in advancing Nigeria’s gas industrialisation drive
