Nigerian Content in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry: Legal and Policy Issues

摘要

The passage into law of a national content law in Nigeria in 2010 marked a very significant stage in a journey of more than 60 years to increase Nigerian participation in the nation's petroleum industry. The new law has radically changed the regulatory regime in that area. This article traces the evolution of legal and policy measures to enhance national content. It shows that while considerable progress has been made, such progress has paradoxically tended to feed demands for even more measures to promote national content. The new national content law is a product of this paradox and contains provisions that could seriously hamper the growth of the Nigerian petroleum industry. The article highlights some of these provisions and their potential impact, and argues that while it is perfectly understandable for Nigerians to seek a greater share of the petroleum industry, this must not be pursued in a way that hurts the industry and the nation itself.