In a landmark development for Nigeria’s energy industry, global oil and gas giant Shell has approved a $2 billion Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of the HI Field, a shallow offshore Non-Associated Gas (NAG) project located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 144. The announcement, made on October 14, 2025, marks Nigeria’s third major gas investment in just 18 months.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the investment as a resounding endorsement of Nigeria’s economic reforms and energy policies. In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described the Shell FID as “a clear validation of our wide-ranging reform efforts and a signal to the world that Nigeria is fully open for business and investment.”
The HI Field project is expected to deliver approximately 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscf/d) starting in 2028, which will supply nearly one-third of the gas requirements for Nigeria LNG Limited’s Train 7 project.
This latest commitment brings total upstream oil and gas investments under Tinubu’s administration to over $8 billion, reflecting growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The HI Field development is part of a broader strategy to unlock Nigeria’s vast gas reserves for both domestic consumption and export. It follows earlier FIDs for the Ubeta Gas and Bonga North deepwater projects, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as a key player in global energy markets.
President Tinubu’s administration has prioritized reforms aimed at improving the investment climate, streamlining regulatory processes, and enhancing transparency in the oil and gas sector. The Shell investment is seen as a direct result of these efforts.