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
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future






