President Bola Tinubu promised to compete with Russia in supplying gas to Europe, adding that he did not care whatever the largest country in the world would say.
Within three weeks of resuming office as Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu has began the move to realize his ambition and fulfill his campaign promise.
On Friday, June 16, which made it exactly 19 days that Tinubu took the oath of office as President of Nigeria, the West African country entered a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with at least five African countries.
The deal, according to The Punch, was tagged “$30bn Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project” and it was at the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, the Nigeria’s capital.
Nigeria entered the deal with the five African countries separately through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The countries involved in the deal are:
- Morocco, through the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines of Morocco.
- Ivory Coast, through the Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières of Cote d’Ivoire.
- Liberia, through the National Oil Company of Liberia.
- Benin Republic, through the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures of Benin.
- The Republic of Guinea, through the Société Nationale des Pétroles of the Republic of Guinea.
President Tinubu in one of his engagement with business community in Lagos during his campaigns in the 2023 presidential election tagged “Business Lunch with Asiwaju” in Lagos, urged European countries to spare some money from going to space and invest in Gas supply from Africa, particularly Nigeria.
The then presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said “I don’t care about what Russia will say, I want to compete.”
President Tinubu also reiterated his commitment to ensure that Nigeria competes with Russia in supplying gas to Europe in Ondo state when he met with the Chairman of Ondo Council of traditional rulers, the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.