Niger Delta Attacks Threaten West African Production, Power Supply

In response to the attacks in the Delta, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a heightened military presence in the region to try and increase safety levels for oil and gas companies operating in the area.

Buhari has said the government is doing “everything possible” to protect the region’s personnel and oil assets.

Buhari’s attempts to restore a degree of order in the Delta were met by scepticism from Liewerscheidt, who stated that the “already overstretched Nigerian military will struggle to operate effectively in yet another theatre, and a campaign against the … [attack] is likely to be protracted.”

The Delta attacks reveal a level of sophistication not seen in many years and “most probably … involve access to inside knowledge,” says Liewerscheidt, “neither of which bodes well for the future.”

“Energy companies and investors should … brace themselves for a further deterioration of the security situation in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, the crisis provides more evidence of Nigeria’s unreliability as a regional energy exporter. West African power producers should therefore aim to diversify their sources of gas supply to hedge against persistent interruptions from Nigeria,” Liewerscheidt concluded.