Reports in the Nigerian press indicate that the European Union, Russia and China are all wooing the government for rights to build the proposed $21 billion Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which would export gas from the Niger Delta to Europe through Niger and Algeria. The sources claimed that the EU, which had previously displayed skepticism on the project, renewed its interest following fears that Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, has approached Nigeria over the contract—and could thereby tighten its grip on European energy supplies. The pipeline project was first proposed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but has met with skepticism due to ongoing unrest in the Niger Delta, Sahel and Maghreb. (BBC World Service; Punch, Nigeria, Sept. 18)

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