Bleak outlook for Nigeria as attacks hit oil and power
Workers at the Bonny Island LNG plant. Militants attacked a pipeline supplying the plant in February. (Shell)
A wave of attacks on pipelines and export infrastructure by the so-called Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is crippling crude output at a time when Nigeria is increasingly reliant on oil export revenues. And with the country’s gas-fired power generation at less than 20% of its peak this year, non-oil sectors of the economy are also suffering. Economists warn Nigeria could slip into recession for the first half of 2016.
"This is one of the main aims of the [NDA]. They’ve proven very adept at identifying key parts of the oil and gas infrastructure to cause maximum damage," said Martin Roberts, a senior Africa analyst at IHS.