By Annette Ikponmwonba | September 23, 2026
Key Points
· President Tinubu says reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector are attracting fresh investment following an $800m final investment decision by AMNI International and TotalEnergies
· The decision will develop the Ima Gas Field, discovered in 1973 and undeveloped for more than fifty years
· Tinubu credits Presidential Directives and Executive Orders introduced since taking office for improving the sector’s investment climate
· The project is expected to create jobs for Nigerian engineers, technicians and contractors, with about 60 per cent of the workforce coming from host communities
· Ima is expected to produce about 350 million cubic feet of gas daily at peak, supplying roughly one-third of the gas needed for Nigeria LNG’s expansion
· Tinubu says the development reflects his broader goal of moving Nigeria’s resources from potential to production
Main Story
President Bola Tinubu has said the reforms initiated by his administration in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector are beginning to attract fresh investments, following the $800m final investment decision taken by AMNI International and TotalEnergies to develop the Ima Gas Field. Tinubu disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, describing the project as evidence that measures introduced by his administration to make investment in the sector more attractive were beginning to yield results.
According to him, the Ima Gas Field, discovered in 1973, had remained undeveloped for more than fifty years. Tinubu said his administration had, since assuming office, introduced a series of Presidential Directives and Executive Orders aimed at improving the investment climate in the oil and gas industry. “The decisions we have taken to reposition Nigeria’s oil and gas sector are beginning to bear fruit,” he said.
He explained that one of these reforms specifically introduced incentives to unlock onshore and shallow-water gas projects that had remained undeveloped for years, adding that the Ima Gas Field decision represents a direct result of that policy shift. “AMNI International and TotalEnergies have taken an $800 million Final Investment Decision to develop the Ima Gas Field, discovered in 1973 and left underground for more than fifty years,” Tinubu disclosed.
The Issues
The Ima Gas Field’s decades-long dormancy highlights a broader, long-standing challenge in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, where regulatory uncertainty, cost inefficiencies and unclear investment terms have historically discouraged the development of even known, discovered resources. Tinubu’s framing of this decision as a direct outcome of specific policy interventions suggests his administration sees investment climate reform, rather than resource scarcity, as the primary barrier that has kept projects like Ima undeveloped for so long.
The project’s connection to Nigeria’s broader liquefied natural gas expansion ambitions also underscores the strategic importance being placed on gas development as a growth sector separate from crude oil production. With Ima expected to supply about one-third of the gas required for Nigeria LNG’s expansion, the project’s success or delays could carry meaningful implications for Nigeria’s broader gas export strategy going forward.
There is also a local economic development dimension embedded in the announcement, with the commitment that about 60 per cent of the project’s workforce will come from host communities. This kind of local content commitment reflects continued sensitivity around ensuring that natural resource extraction projects translate into tangible economic benefits for the communities located near extraction sites, a recurring point of tension in Nigeria’s oil and gas history.
What’s Being Said
Tinubu was direct in tying the investment decision to specific policy actions taken by his administration, stating that he had signed a series of Presidential Directives and Executive Orders aimed at making investment in Nigeria more competitive, reducing the cost and time required to develop projects, and providing greater certainty to investors. He said, “Today, we are seeing the result.”
He also emphasized the broader economic benefits he expects the project to generate for Nigerians, saying it would mean work for engineers, technicians and contractors, along with opportunities for Nigerian businesses, jobs and economic activity in host communities, in addition to increased export earnings for the country.
On the project’s technical scale, Tinubu noted that Ima is expected to produce about 350 million cubic feet of gas daily at peak, supplying roughly a third of the gas required for the expansion of Nigeria LNG. He framed the entire development within his administration’s broader reform philosophy, stating, “This is what our reforms are intended to achieve, to move Nigeria’s resources from potential to production and translate them into jobs, incomes and opportunity for our people.”
What’s Next
With the final investment decision now taken, attention will likely turn to the actual development timeline for the Ima Gas Field, including how quickly AMNI International and TotalEnergies move from investment commitment to construction and eventual production, Tinubu’s closing remark, that there is more to unlock, suggests the administration may look to highlight additional similar investment decisions in the oil and gas sector going forward, potentially as part of a broader narrative around the success of its sectoral reform agenda ahead of future political cycles.
Bottom Line
The $800m final investment decision to develop the long-dormant Ima Gas Field gives the Tinubu administration a concrete example to point to in support of its oil and gas sector reform agenda, with the President framing the project as proof that policy changes aimed at improving Nigeria’s investment climate are beginning to convert previously stranded resources into real economic activity.
