Nigeria’s return to the World Energy Council (WEC), backed by the appointment of experienced industry leaders such as Bala Wunti, could help the country convert its enormous energy resources into reliable power, industrial growth, investment and broad-based prosperity, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, has said.
In an analysis of Nigeria’s renewed membership of the century-old global energy body, Aduda said the development provides the country with a strategic platform to influence international energy policy while attracting global expertise, technology, partnerships and capital into its energy sector.
The WEC announced the constitution of a new Nigerian National Member Committee and Governing Board on August 6, 2026. The board is chaired by Abdulrazaq Isa, co-founder and Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, while Wunti, a veteran energy executive and former Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Limited, serves as Chief Executive Officer.
Aduda said Wunti’s extensive experience across Nigeria’s energy industry, particularly in upstream investment, project development, commercial negotiations and stakeholder engagement, would be invaluable in translating the opportunities offered by WEC membership into measurable benefits for the country.
According to him, Wunti’s knowledge of Nigeria’s energy assets, investment requirements and operational challenges places him in a strong position to connect government policy with credible projects, international capital and practical implementation.
He said the leadership team’s most important responsibility would be to ensure that Nigeria’s return to the WEC does not become another ceremonial international affiliation but a platform for attracting investment, strengthening policy and delivering projects that improve energy access.
Wunti has said WEC Nigeria will seek to connect “evidence with leadership, leadership with capital, and capital with action” — an approach Aduda described as particularly relevant to Nigeria, where the major challenge has often been implementation rather than a shortage of ideas or development plans.
He noted that Nigeria’s membership places the country alongside about 90 other nations confronting similar questions about energy security, affordability and sustainability. It will also allow Nigeria to learn from international experiences in areas such as mini-grids, renewable energy, biofuels, gas development, battery storage and energy efficiency without blindly copying foreign models.
“Nigeria does not have to reinvent the wheel. It can adapt what works and reject what does not,” Aduda said.
He added that Nigeria would also enter the global energy conversation as a significant contributor, representing a country with more than 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and tens of millions of citizens who still lack reliable electricity.
At the centre of WEC Nigeria’s mandate is the “Energy Trilemma” — balancing energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability. Aduda said the framework is especially important for Nigeria because the country must increase energy supply, make it affordable and pursue environmental responsibility at the same time.
He explained that Nigeria could possess vast oil and gas reserves and still experience severe electricity shortages if it failed to properly organise its infrastructure, institutions, investment and regulatory systems.
The former OPEC Governor for Nigeria said the WEC’s technology-neutral approach would encourage practical solutions based on Nigeria’s development priorities rather than international trends alone.
He argued that natural gas must remain central to Nigeria’s industrialisation and electricity ambitions, while the country simultaneously expands investments in solar power, hydroelectricity, battery storage, transmission infrastructure, energy efficiency and emerging technologies.
Aduda said WEC’s network of more than 3,000 organisations across over 100 countries could provide Nigerian institutions and companies with access to technical knowledge, investors and partnerships beyond the country’s traditional energy relationships.
He said Wunti’s commercial and technical background would be particularly important in identifying investment-ready projects, addressing investor concerns and presenting Nigeria’s energy opportunities in a credible and competitive manner.
The timing, he added, is significant because the global energy industry is undergoing a major transformation, with investors reassessing conventional oil and gas projects while increasing their exposure to renewable energy, storage, hydrogen, digitalisation and energy efficiency.
“Nigeria cannot afford to remain a passive observer of this transition,” he said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had described Nigeria’s admission into the WEC as a proud moment and a vote of confidence in the country’s energy reforms and leadership role in Africa.
“Nigeria has joined the World Energy Council to lead, not just participate — to ensure Africa’s voice shapes global energy decisions,” the President said.
Aduda said the presidential declaration had raised expectations for WEC Nigeria, stressing that its performance should be measured by the quality of its policy recommendations, the investments it helps unlock, the partnerships it facilitates and the improvements recorded in the country’s energy system.
He identified the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 as an early opportunity for Isa, Wunti and the governing board to present a coherent Nigerian energy proposition to international investors.
According to him, Nigeria must go beyond promoting its natural resources and provide investors with clear information about commercially viable projects, infrastructure requirements, regulatory reforms and opportunities in gas, power, renewable energy, transmission and distribution.
“Investors require more than abundant resources. They need predictable regulation, transparent processes, commercially viable projects, credible institutions and confidence that contracts and policies will remain stable,” he said.
Aduda also urged WEC Nigeria to keep energy equity at the centre of its work, noting that reliable and affordable energy is essential to healthcare, education, manufacturing, telecommunications, job creation and household welfare.
He said Wunti and the other board members now have an opportunity to transform Nigeria’s global access into domestic action by turning international knowledge into practical policy, policy into investment, investment into infrastructure, and infrastructure into reliable and affordable energy.
“With Isa, Wunti and other experienced professionals providing leadership, Nigeria has returned to the global energy conversation,” Aduda said.
“The challenge is to ensure that Nigeria’s voice is not merely heard, but that the country uses the platform to shape global decisions, attract capital and technology, and convert its enormous energy potential into prosperity for Nigerians and leadership for Africa.”
Author
Leave a comment