Hope Came Home: Consultant Celebrates With Community Youths in Akwa Ibom as CNG Mother Station Equipment Finally Arrives

Hope Came Home: Consultant Celebrates With Community Youths in Akwa Ibom as CNG Mother Station Equipment Finally Arrives

Engr. Mkposong Asuquo, Chief Consultant and CEO of Inter Africa Global Consultants, says Nsik Oil and Gas CNG facility will be commissioned before the end of 2026.*

ESIT EKET, Akwa Ibom State: Jubilant youths lined the road in Esit Eket Local Government Area as trucks carrying processing equipment for the Nsik Oil and Gas Company Limited Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mother Station arrived at the project site in Uqua Isi Edoho, ending months of delay.

The Chief Consultant of the company, Engr. Mkposong Asuquo, who is also the CEO of Inter Africa Global Consultants, said the arrival of the first set of facilities from China was an emotional moment. He stepped out of his car to join the celebrating youths.

“Today was more than the arrival of equipment. Hope came home,” he said, describing the cargo as a symbol of possibility for the community.

He acknowledged that the project had at times seemed almost impossible, owing to delays, uncertainties, financial pressures, and regulatory hurdles. “We kept pushing,” he said, giving thanks to God for the faith that sustained the team.

Engr. Asuquo said he had long encouraged young people in the area to see themselves as co-owners of the future being built around them, not as bystanders to development driven by government or outsiders. The excitement on their faces, he said, showed that this message had taken root.

“I saw ownership,” he said. “They were looking at it as something connected to their own future, their jobs, their businesses, their families, and the transformation of their community.”

He added that industrialisation goes beyond infrastructure. “Industrialisation is about restoring hope,” he said, noting that it creates opportunities for young people to build careers at home rather than wait endlessly for openings elsewhere.

“We are not just building an energy station. We are building hope, opportunity, and a new industrial future,” he said, adding that the people remain the project’s greatest asset. He expressed hope that young people in Esit Eket would one day say of the community’s transformation: “We were there when it started.”

Government Official Witnesses Delivery

The Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Kufre Sam, JP, visited the site on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to witness the delivery at Engr. Asuquo’s invitation.

The Nsik Oil and Gas facility is one of the CNG mother stations promoted by the Midstream Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) and supervised by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas). It is the first of its kind in Akwa Ibom State.

A few months ago, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. (Obongemem) Ekperikpe Ekpo, PhD, performed the groundbreaking ceremony alongside other oil and gas industry stakeholders. He promised that work would begin immediately after the equipment arrived.

Speaking to the press, Hon. Sam said the visit gave him firsthand information to brief the Minister on his return to Abuja. He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for positioning CNG as an alternative to petrol (PMS) following the removal of the fuel subsidy in order to ease the high cost of transportation, goods, and services.

“I am very happy because the reality of what Mr. President has been preaching has come to birth in Esit Eket LGA and, by extension, Akwa Ibom State,” he said.

He thanked Minister Ekpo for his passion for the project and for approving two mother stations, in Esit Eket and Ibesikpo. According to Hon. Sam, the stations will create jobs when fully operational, advancing Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE Agenda and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.

Project Details and Timeline

Engr. Asuquo disclosed that the station has a capacity of 10 million standard cubic feet (SCF). He credited Minister Ekpo’s efforts for the smooth progress the company has enjoyed, describing him as instrumental in bringing the CNG station to the state.

He said the facility will be commissioned for full operational service before the end of 2026.