Tinubu Hails Nigeria’s Return to World Energy Council

President Bola Tinubu has welcomed Nigeria’s admission as the newest National Member Committee of the World Energy Council (WEC), saying the country’s return to the global energy body will strengthen its voice in international energy discussions.

Tinubu said Nigeria’s membership would give the country a platform to influence debates around energy security, affordability and sustainability while opening opportunities for deeper policy cooperation, investment and innovation.

Nigeria joins a WEC network spanning more than 100 countries, at a time when the country is seeking to attract fresh capital into its oil, gas, power and renewable energy sectors.

“Nigeria has joined the World Energy Council to lead, not just participate, to ensure Africa’s voice shapes global energy decisions,” the President said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The President also congratulated the inaugural leadership of WEC Nigeria, led by Chairman Abdulrazaq Isa and Chief Executive Officer Bala Wunti.

He described Isa as an industrialist whose investments in refining and energy had contributed to expanding opportunities for indigenous businesses, while praising Wunti for his long experience in energy strategy and sector reforms.

The new WEC Nigeria board brings together representatives from different parts of the energy industry, including regulators, businesses, financial institutions, industry associations, academia and young energy professionals.

Tinubu added that the mix of expertise would help establish WEC Nigeria as a neutral platform for national energy dialogue and allow the country to engage more effectively with policymakers, investors and industry leaders around the world.

A bigger platform for Nigeria’s energy priorities

Nigeria’s return to the council comes as the country faces the difficult task of improving energy security while attracting investment and expanding access to reliable and affordable electricity.

The country is also trying to increase oil and gas production, develop its gas resources, expand refining capacity and accelerate renewable energy deployment.

Against this backdrop, WEC membership gives Nigeria an additional channel to present its investment opportunities and make a case for its energy priorities in international policy discussions.

Wunti’s appointment brings an executive with extensive experience across Nigeria’s petroleum industry for WEC Nigeria. His previous responsibilities included strategy, upstream investment, petroleum products and efforts to address crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

His new role will focus on building dialogue around the major pressures facing Nigeria’s energy system, including infrastructure security, investment certainty, affordability and the transition to cleaner energy.

Wunti disclosed that Nigeria’s energy future should be approached from the standpoint of security, affordability, sustainability and national development rather than ideology alone.

That approach illustrates the wider challenge facing Nigeria: expanding cleaner energy without compromising the reliability and affordability of the power system, while ensuring that oil and gas remain productive sources of revenue and energy during the transition.

Tinubu promised that the Federal Government would support WEC Nigeria as an independent and technology-neutral platform for policy dialogue, investment mobilisation and innovation.

The government will be looking to use the platform to attract capital, strengthen international partnerships and ensure that African energy priorities have a stronger presence in global discussions about the future of energy.