It is indeed a pleasure for me to be here once again at the Africa’s number one energy industry event, the Nigeria International Energy Summit (N.I.E.S). The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources together with all of its parastatals have done a great job sustaining this summit since inception in 2018. This is quite commendable and something to be proud of. More importantly, the summit has been of great value in terms of policy input for government and business development resource for the private sector. The year 2021 was a milestone year for the Nigeria’s energy sector as it witnessed a number of record-breaking activities. Three of these activities stand out - First, the successful conclusion of the Marginal fields bid round; Second, the Petroleum Industry Act seeing the light of the day. And the third is the Decade of Gas initiative. For the Decade of Gas initiative, our major objective remains the transformation of Nigeria into a gas-based industrialized nation through enhanced and accelerated gas revolution. We will ensure further optimal exploitation and utilization of the country’s vast Natural Gas resources. Given the country’s potential of about 600 trillion cubic feet, Natural Gas has the enormous potential to diversify and grow Nigeria’s economy. We are fully aware that energy transition raises the bar in terms of environmental, social and governance demands. We do not have to panic. We are already building blocks and bricks that will ensure seamless energy transition as the country joins in the race for net zero carbon emission. That is why this administration declared Natural Gas as the transition fuel for Nigeria. Without doubt, Natural Gas ticks all the boxes. We are prepared to face the challenge of the rising global demand for cleaner energy sources. I urge this summit to develop smart home-grown goals for the country’s energy transition. We are waiting to deliberate on the strategy paper from this summit and incorporate critical parts of it into government’s policies where necessary. Finally, I wish to commend the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, all her parastatals and the organizers of this summit for delivering once again another world class summit.