President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of Nigeria’s long-delayed Ima Gas Field, describing the project as a major step towards converting the country’s gas resources into jobs, industrial activity and export earnings.
The FID was announced on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, by TotalEnergies and AMNI International, which are developing the offshore gas project in Nigeria.
The Ima field straddles Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 112 and 117 in shallow waters close to Bonny Island, Rivers State. The field was discovered in 1973 but remained undeveloped for more than five decades.
Under the development plan, TotalEnergies will operate the project with a 40 per cent interest, while Nigerian independent oil and gas company AMNI International will hold the remaining 60 per cent.
The field will be developed through a single platform connected by a 22-kilometre pipeline to Nigeria LNG’s facilities at Bonny Island. Production is scheduled to begin in 2028, with output expected to reach a plateau of approximately 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Ima to supply Nigeria LNG
A major component of the development is its planned contribution to Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas industry.
TotalEnergies said gas from Ima is expected to provide approximately one-third of the gas required for the ongoing Nigeria LNG Train 7 expansion. The expansion is designed to increase Nigeria LNG’s liquefaction capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum.
The development is therefore expected to provide additional feedgas for Nigeria LNG while bringing a previously undeveloped offshore resource into commercial production.
Tinubu links project to oil and gas reforms
Reacting to the FID, President Tinubu said the development demonstrated the potential of reforms introduced by his administration to improve the investment environment in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
“For more than fifty years, the gas beneath Ima remained a resource with enormous potential, but potential alone does not create jobs, finance businesses or improve the lives of our people,” Tinubu said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The President said his administration had introduced measures intended to make investment in Nigeria more competitive, reduce the time and cost associated with developing projects and provide greater certainty for investors.
He said the Ima FID showed what could be achieved when investors were provided with what he described as a predictable and enabling business environment.
Tinubu also said the government would continue working to unlock additional gas resources to support domestic industries, expand exports and create employment.
Indigenous participation
The project is also expected to increase the participation of Nigerian companies and workers in the country’s upstream gas industry.
AMNI, a Nigerian-owned exploration and production company, holds the majority interest in the development. The Presidency said the project would create opportunities for Nigerian engineers, technicians, contractors and businesses, while about 60 per cent of the development workforce is expected to come from host communities.
The development comes amid renewed efforts to increase investment in Nigeria’s gas sector and bring previously stranded or undeveloped resources into production.
The Ima project is the fourth major gas development to reach FID since Tinubu assumed office, following the Iseni, Ubeta and HI projects, according to the Presidency.
For Nigeria, the project represents the commercial development of a gas discovery that has remained undeveloped since its discovery in 1973, while providing additional supply for the country’s LNG expansion and potential economic activity in the surrounding communities.