Everything to play for

Within a few years, Nigeria should see its oil production capacity rise by a third and its LNG exports double. By the end of the decade – if government plans are fulfilled – it could even be the second-largest oil producer in Opec and the world’s second- or third-largest LNG exporter. Political and tribal tensions, corruption and an ideological resistance to foreign companies being involved in the exploitation of its mineral wealth will be the most likely causes of failure, Martin Quinlan writes