Nigeria’s Buhari: Oil companies see optimism and risks
Nigeria’s new government, headed by former-general Muhammadu Buhari, arrives with plans which could be positive for the oil companies - but with the risk of stirring up increased dissent in the producing areas
BUHARI was a decisive oil minister and head of the state company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), for three years in the 1970s, before becoming an iron-rule president for 20 months after a military coup in 1983. Buhari’s election campaign laid stress on tackling Nigeria’s corruption and security problems, and he is expected to be a reformer in the administration of the oil industry. But, as a Muslim from the north of the country, he will have to tread carefully to avoid escalating the troubles in the southern Niger delta area — the heartland of the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan. The new government is expected to make a priority of passing the Petroleum Industry Bill
Also in this section
19 January 2026
Newfound optimism is emerging that a dormant exploration frontier could become a strategic energy play and—whisper it quietly—Europe’s next offshore opportunity
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
