The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has said that the country will begin exporting Urea in 2028. The authority also said Nigeria will soon begin large-scale export of fertilisers.

The Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Saidu Mohammed, disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen during a tour of facilities at Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemicals Limited in Rivers State on Wednesday.

The visit to the facility was part of his three-day tour of select midstream and downstream facilities in the oil-rich state of Rivers. According to Mohammed, Nigeria is striving to become a major hub for value-added products in the oil and gas industry, describing the midstream sector as an important segment that requires huge investment to reap the dividends.

He emphasized that the country has no business importing value-added products like Urea and fertilisers, especially with the investment being made by private concerns in-country to boost oil, gas, and related sectors.

“The midstream of the oil and gas business is really a tremendous segment that requires a lot of investment. We need $30 to $50 billion today if we must get what we need to get Nigeria on the right footing as being the hub of not only the oil and gas, but whatever secondary recovery we can have.

“Value-added products like fertilisers, Urea-like, and what have you; we have no business importing any of those things. Behold, with the expansion of what is going on today at Indorama and many other places, including Dangote Fertilisers, I am sure that in the next 24 months, Nigeria will join the league of Urea-exporting countries, and that is where we should be. And not only being a hub for energy but also being a hub of secondary derivatives of oil and gas.”

The NMDPRA boss lauded Indorama for its investment, saying, “It is really a manifestation of what Nigeria needs to have. We need a lot of these in the midstream. Definitely fertiliser plants and any value addition that we have on hydrocarbon sources is what is needed for this nation to propel.”

Rivers State was chosen for the tour due to its strategic importance in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, housing critical national assets such as refineries, manufacturing facilities, and processing plants.

“You know the midstream and downstream segment of Nigeria and Rivers State has a lot of them. There is no sample that we cannot take. If we want to see anything on the gas process, we will. If we want to see anything about manufacturing, we shall. If we want to see anything at the refinery, we can. So we have selected just a few for us to have an overview of what is going on, and that is the main mission.

“The authority is there to facilitate, to continue giving them the support that they need, to create the environment for them to continue to add on the investment, while we are attracting more and more investments to grow. That is the whole essence.”

Speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited, Munish Jindal, said the visit was important for the regulator to see and better appreciate what is on the ground, including the operations, successes, and challenges.

Noting that Indorama has been operating for over 20 years, Jindal expressed that the NMDPRA boss has been involved in the establishment of the company.

He stated, “We thank the authorities for the understanding that they have developed all these years for the midstream industry. In the beginning, when we came, it was a big challenge for us to make them understand the set of problems, how we operate, and what is more critical for us. I think that understanding has evolved in the past 18 years.

“We are appreciative of the new regulators, and we fully support them. However, there are one or two issues many believe would benefit our oil and gas industry, and they are no longer relevant to midstream companies like us.

“However, we have made a keen request to the authority to kindly look into it and see that this is not relevant in the manufacturing industry if we are given an exemption.”

The tour of midstream and downstream facilities in Rivers State by the NMDPRA boss and his team ends on Friday, even as Mohammed has signaled another visit to look at facilities in other companies, noting that three days were not enough to cover all the areas required.