Nigeria: delta of trouble

Nigeria planned to clean up its oil sector and increase production, but the optimism is fading

WHEN Muhammadu Buhari assumed Nigeria's presidency for the second time in May 2015, many hoped his new broom would sweep aside the problems dogging the oil and gas sector's development. An overhaul of the industry's organisational and investment frameworks and a serious push to tackle the causes of instability in the industry's Niger delta heartland were at the top of his agenda. Just over a year on, progress has been patchy. New militant groups are now bombing oil and gas installations in the delta, cutting supply drastically, while the long-delayed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), intended to redefine the state's rela­tionship with its partners in the energy sec­tor, remains where it was - b