EU: We Looked to Nigeria’s Direction After Russian Weaponised Gas

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The European Union (EU) has said that the decision of Russia to weaponise gas forced Europe to look towards Nigeria and other African countries to meet its supply needs.

The Deputy Director General, Energy, Mr. Mathew Baldwin, disclosed this while addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja after a fact finding mission.

He said the EU was interested in additional volumes of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from Nigeria, hence, the fact finding mission.

According to Baldwin, “There’s a lot of speculation that the EU is interested in gas. So we will need a certain amount of gas to get through. We’re not going to have Russian gas in our system. We want to replace that gas with the gas  coming from Nigeria and other reliable partners.

“Europe is in a tight spot in relation to gas following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and instability is less likely to threaten, perhaps to cut off supplies altogether as we have launched the energy platform Task Force.”

The Deputy Director General noted that the primary goal was to reach out to EU reliable partners such as Nigeria to sources for its gas needs.

Baldwin added, “Let’s be clear, Europe in the past has become far too dependent on one supplier and that supplier has proved to be not just unreliable, but has chosen to weaponise guests as a political tool we should make nobody.

“So in our view, the 24th of February 2010 changes everything. We are looking forward to change, to adjust, to build new partnerships with countries like Nigeria, but not just Nigeria to supply our vital needs.

“I think earlier this week, we launched a gas demand reduction plan. We’re looking forward to our member states, each one of us, to reduce demand for gas by 15 per cent. That is part of managing demand side of the equation. We also have to be very clear, we’ll need to manage our supply side.”

Baldwin noted that the United States was also interested in LNG, saying it would lead to more investment again.

He added that he was impressed with the commitment of Nigeria to improve the security situation in the Niger Delta.

According to him, “I think what they’re looking to see is an improvement in the security situation and we are very pleased to find the commitments not just from NNPC but also from the ministries involved from the military who are taking this extraordinary role. We went yesterday to this amazing illegal refining site where they had taken it down yesterday.

Baldwin noted that there was a clear commitment from Nigeria to change the security situation, adding “and it’s not just doing this for the European Union; it’s doing it for larger increments to stop this terrible environmental degradation that’s going on as the pipeline; the loss of vital tax revenue and income for Nigeria. And last but not least, the last export potential for two places like the EU and we know we know we are going to be buyers.”