Nigeria Begins Export of Natural Gas
Regional, Economics, 10/12/1999

Nigeria exported over the weekend its first cargo of natural gas to France, officials of the Liquefied Natural Gas of Nigeria company said in Lagos Monday.

Under a multi-million-dollar agreement, Nigeria's 3.8 billion dollars gas plant was to have started the export on Oct. 1 to European consumers, the pan-African news agency PANA said.

But the plant, which began operation four weeks ago, was forced to shut down in September by angry youths who put it under siege, demanding compensation for environmental pollution and jobs from the gas company.

It took several peace meetings and the intervention of President Olusegun Obasanjo to resolve the issue.

Apart from France, European gas companies in Italy, Spain and Portugal are part of the deal for a supply of some 5.78 million tons of Nigerian gas annually.

Nigeria has for years been making earnest efforts to diversify its revenue base by exporting its abundant liquefied natural gas.

This is part of an effort to end the country's dependence on oil, which currently accounts for some 90 percent of its total foreign exchange revenue.

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