President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja pledged that Nigeria would make the West African Gas Pipeline project more efficient to stabilise the energy sector across the West African sub-region.
Speaking at a joint news conference with the visiting President of Benin Republic, Mr Patrice Talon, Buhari stated that his administration was doing all it could to stabilise the gas pipelines to enhance electricity supply in Benin and other West African sub-region.
President Buhari also said that the Federal Government was looking at possibility of using modern technology to transform gas into liquid form for easy export.
He said:“The economy part of (our discussion) it, is mainly energy, making sure that the West African Gas pipeline is made much more efficient.
“This government is making all the efforts it can to stabilise the situation because the resources are there.
“The World knows that Nigeria has plenty of gas; what we need to do is to stabilise the environment so that this gas can be regularly pumped to the sub-region through the infrastructure already in place.
“Also the Nigerian LNG is not doing too badly as gas can now be turned into liquid form, the technology is now available can be transferred to Benin Republic to power their power stations.
“The sad and long standing problem is the question of using Benin as a transit camp to bring a lot of goods into Nigeria.
“Under ECOWAS agreement, all we have to do is to remind ourselves about our respective national commitments that other than really ECOWAS originated commodities, we should not allow it. If we get strict on that, I think Nigerian industries would benefit from ECOWAS agreements,’’ he said.
The President also thanked Benin Republic for the continued support in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.
In his remarks, President Talon disclosed that his discussion with President Buhari at the closed door meeting centered on security and economy.
According to him, his country is looking forward to reactivate the existing bilateral relationship between Benin and Nigeria, especially in the areas of trade relations, economy, energy development and education.
Talon raised alarm over increased activities of smugglers along illegal border areas between Benin republic and Nigeria.
The president, who spoke through an interpreter, stressed the need to address the menace of the smugglers to boost revenue generation in both countries.
He added that: “On this issue of trade relation between the two countries, I will like to go a little bit deeper and to mention that there is what we call
“illegal trade’’ between the two countries which is creating difficulties between the two countries.
“We looked at the possibility of reenergising the trade between the two countries so that illegal trade is discouraged,’’ he said.
According to him, his country will work with Nigeria to end the current illegal trade going on between the two countries and make what is going on pass through legal processes
Talon noted that the downturn in the Nigeria's economy was adversely affecting his country and other African countries.
While describing Nigeria as the engine room of West Africa, Talon urged Nigeria to explore its non-oil sectors to increase its revenue profile being reduced by falling oil prices in the international market.
He, however, noted that Nigeria remained a big brother in Africa, saying that the country relied for too long on crude oil revenue to the detriment of other sectors.
He invited President Buhari to visit Benin Republic to enhance and consolidate the gains of the cooperation between the two countries.
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