Election posters of the APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Nigeria heads for crucial elections
The country’s next president faces an uphill battle to revive the struggling oil and gas sector
Recent years have not been kind to Nigeria’s oil industry. New investment has slowed to a trickle amid a seemingly never-ending struggle with pipeline vandalism and oil theft. International players have largely divested onshore assets, preferring the relative safety of offshore fields. Production fell below 1mn bl/d last August, its lowest level for over 30 years. President Muhammadu Buhari has been unable to halt the industry’s decline during his eight years in power, although he did secure the passage of major regulatory reforms in 2021. The 80-year-old Buhari is now preparing for retirement; Nigerians will go to the polls to elect his successor on 25 February. The leading candidates inclu
Also in this section
29 January 2026
Caught between LNG risks from across the Atlantic and the wounds from Russian gas dependence, Europe needs more than a simple diversification strategy
28 January 2026
The alliance looks to bolster market management credibility by bringing greater clarity and unity to output cuts and producer capacity later in 2026
23 January 2026
A strategic pivot away from Russian crude in recent weeks tees up the possibility of improved US-India trade relations
23 January 2026
The signing of a deal with a TotalEnergies-led consortium to explore for gas in a block adjoining Israel’s maritime area may breathe new life into the country’s gas ambitions
