Cleaner CNG drives NCDMB all the way to Delta State to witness a generational shift
The Starzs Group, known for its leading companies like Starzs Marine and Engineering Services Limited, Starzs Shipyard Limited, and Starzs Investments Company Limited, has primarily focused on the maritime industry for decades but now has a new focus which is gas.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Starzs Gas Limited have taken a significant step towards revolutionising Nigeria’s gas sub-sector, aiming to drive industrialisation on an unprecedented scale. The groundbreaking ceremony for a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mother station in Iwhreken, Ughelli South, Delta State, on Thursday, 13 February 2025, marks the beginning of this transformative journey.
Starzs Gas Limited is the new member of the Starzs conglomerate, which has traditionally focused on ship maintenance and mechanical engineering services for the marine industry.
However, this new venture into the CNG sector promises substantial benefits to the Ughelli South federal constituency. The NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, was represented at the ceremony by Barr. Esueme Dan Kikile, the Board’s General Manager for Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination.
Barr. Kikile commended Starzs Investments Company Limited, the parent company of Starzs Gas, for its innovative expansion into the gas sub-sector. He mentioned Engr. Ogbe’s praise of the multi-million-dollar Integrated CNG Project, which is set for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026. It aligns with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas programme which kicked off under former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari in 2021.
This initiative underscores NCDMB’s role as an enabler of various gas development and utilisation projects across Nigeria. The executive secretary highlighted the Board’s achievements in local content development, noting that local content in the oil and gas sector reached 56 percent in the last quarter of 2023, up from five percent in 2010.
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Engr. Ogbe urged the Iwhrekan community to cooperate with Starzs Gas Limited to maximise the benefits and ensure smooth production activities. He was encouraged by the presence of Hon. Francis Waive, the House of Representatives member for Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu Federal Constituency, whose support could facilitate the NCDMB’s sustainability programme focused on protecting and securing the company’s facilities.
Mr. Greg Ogbeifun, Chairman and CEO of Starzs Investments Company Limited, described the establishment of Starzs Gas Limited as a generational shift which was quite an apt expression considering the mood of the gathering.
The Starzs Group, known for its leading companies like Starzs Marine and Engineering Services Limited, Starzs Shipyard Limited, and Starzs Investments Company Limited, has primarily focused on the maritime industry for decades.
Mr. Ogbeifun credited his daughter, Miss Iroghama Ogbeifun, for her relentless advocacy for the company’s expansion into the gas sub-sector. The young Ogbeifun saw the importance of addressing global calls for the elimination of gas flaring and reducing the carbon footprint, aligning with the current president Bola Tinubu’s gas utilisation initiatives.
In recognition of her exceptional vision and dedication, Miss Iroghama Ogbeifun got promoted to Vice Chairman of the Starzs Group. Her leadership and drive have been instrumental in bringing the new business organisation to fruition, the gathering heard.
During her welcome address, Miss Ogbeifun, also Managing Director of Starzs Gas, expressed profound gratitude to the guests, including top executives from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries, Engr. Olanrewaju Kalejaiye of ND Western, Hon. Francis Waive, Rt. Rev. Feb Idahosa, the Council of Chiefs of the community, and Engr. Aka Nwokedi, President of the Nigerian Gas Association.
She assured the audience that the Integrated Gas Project would significantly contribute to the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas programme. In a goodwill message, Hon. Francis Waive urged the community he represents in parliament to work with Starzs to achieve success, emphasising that development would come if the people refrained from disruptive activities.
More reactions came from Engr. Kalejaiye of ND Western. He highlighted the economic benefits of gas for broadening the country’s energy mix, while Engr. Nwokedi of the Nigerian Gas Association commended the partnership between NNPCL Gas Marketing Limited and Starzs Gas, as well as the focus and tenacity of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo.
HRH Justin Ezeala, Managing Director of NNPC Gas Marketing Limited, sees the Integrated Gas Project as a timely response to the Federal Government’s charge to the private sector to invest in gas infrastructure. He assured that the government supports Starzs’ vision and that it is making the right policies to promote resource development and utilisation.
Starzs Gas Limited is reportedly building a CNG Compression Station adjacent to the NAZ 3 Gas Plant at Utorogu, Delta State. The station, with an initial capacity of two million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), is scalable to five mmscfd within 18 months.
At its height, the project is expected to expand from CNG to domestic LNG production, driving industrial development and economic prosperity for the region.
