The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, and the Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Dr. Philip Mshelbila, have been elected as the President and Secretary General of the 2026 Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Ministerial Meeting, respectively.
This was revealed in a statement issued in Abuja by Andy Odeh, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
While celebrating the achievement, NNPCL congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his role in the emergence of Nigeria’s candidates. The company described the development as a historic milestone and a testament to the Federal Government’s gas agenda, which seeks to utilise natural gas as a major driver of industrial growth and economic development.
Mshelbila, who was elected during the Forum’s 27th Ministerial Meeting held in Doha, Qatar, succeeds Algeria’s Mohamed Hamel as the fifth Secretary General of the global organisation. The GECF has been instrumental in promoting natural gas as a cornerstone of global sustainable development.
Speaking on the milestone, Engr. Bashir Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, commended Mshelbila’s leadership and achievements.
“NNPC Ltd. is proud of what Mshelbila has achieved at Nigeria LNG, where he has worked tirelessly to transform Nigeria’s vast gas reserves into export-grade LNG, LPG, and condensates—serving both domestic needs and global markets,” Ojulari said.
He added: “With this feat, Philip Mshelbila has firmly placed Nigeria on the global energy map. This demonstrates that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Gas-to-Prosperity agenda—aimed at making natural gas the cornerstone of Nigeria’s industrial growth, energy security, and economic transformation—is on the right trajectory.”
Ojulari further expressed confidence that with Mshelbila at the helm of GECF affairs, Africa, Nigeria, and NNPCL will witness remarkable progress in advancing natural gas as a pivotal resource for inclusive and sustainable development.
The GCEO also congratulated Minister Ekperikpe Ekpo on his emergence as President of the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting, noting that the Minister has been at the forefront of efforts to harness Nigeria’s abundant gas resources for industrialisation and economic growth.
The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) is an international intergovernmental organisation that provides a platform for the exchange of experience and information among member countries. Representing the world’s leading gas-exporting nations, the Forum fosters constructive dialogue between producers and consumers to promote the stability and security of global gas supply and demand.
The organisation’s members include Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Observer Members are Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal.
Collectively, GECF Member Countries hold 69% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves, account for 39% of marketed production, contribute 40% of global gas exports, and represent 51% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
