Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, emerged overall winner of the 2026 Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games, NOGIG, after topping the medal table with 52 medals at the grand finale held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
The 20th edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games drew 15 companies and more than 1,200 athletes from across the sector. Activities began with arrivals from February 7 and ran through February 14, ending with a colourful closing ceremony that coincided with Valentine’s Day. Preliminary matches had earlier taken place in Port Harcourt on January 12 before the competition shifted to Abuja for the decisive rounds.
NLNG secured 20 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze medals to finish ahead of defending champions Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, which placed second with 49 medals made up of 14 gold, 15 silver and 20 bronze. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board claimed third position with 18 medals, including five gold and eight silver, while TotalEnergies finished fourth with 15 medals comprising five gold and 10 bronze.
Renaissance, Oando, Seplat Energy, Petroleum Training Institute, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and ND Western completed the top 10 standings. Chevron, NMDPRA, ExxonMobil, Shell and Aradel followed from 11th to 15th position in the final rankings.
Swimming events on Thursday proved decisive in shaping the medal table. NLNG added five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the pool, while NCDMB earned three gold, three silver and one bronze. Oando also impressed with three gold and three silver medals. Pretty Newton of NCDMB delivered one of the standout performances of the championship by winning the women’s 50m butterfly title.
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In tennis, Salami Babs of Renaissance defeated Joshua Bok of NLNG 6 to 4, 7 to 6 in a tightly contested men’s singles match. Victor Bull of Oando overpowered Ufia Fabian of ExxonMobil 6 to 0, 6 to 0, while Obende Omera of Seplat beat Lanre Akinwumi of NMDPRA 6 to 2, 6 to 3. Aladei Pius also recorded a 6 to 4, 6 to 1 victory over Kazeem AbdulFatai of PTI.
The men’s volleyball final produced a commanding display from NNPCL, which defeated NUPRC 3 to 0 with set scores of 25 to 16, 25 to 18 and 25 to 21 to clinch gold. NUPRC had earlier overcome NMDPRA, Shell and Chevron to reach the final, while TotalEnergies and Aradel also posted notable performances during the tournament.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Alhaji Suleiman Suleiman, praised the participating companies for maintaining discipline and unity throughout the championship. He said the games achieved their purpose of strengthening bonds within the oil and gas industry, promoting fitness and encouraging healthy competition.
He also commended the National Sports Commission for its support and expressed appreciation to journalists who covered the two week event from start to finish. According to him, the success of the 2026 Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games has laid a firm foundation for an even stronger outing when the championship returns in two years.
The curtain fell in Abuja with celebration and camaraderie among athletes and officials, closing another chapter in the history of NOGIG and reaffirming its place as a key sporting event in Nigeria’s oil and gas calendar.
