Natural gas has been predicted to become a larger part of Nigerian energy mix as the country seeks to guarantee the sus- tainability of its energy supply and benefit from greater energy efficiency and reduce energy-related costs (Nwaoha and Wood, 2014). Table 3 shows that over 75% gas production are being flared daily which call for a global concern due to environmental hazard. Natural gas availability, versatility, accessibility and more importantly its clean-burning characteristics when compared to other fossil fuels is a substantial driver for its further utilisation in country. Natural gas transportation and storage is more complex than that of oil which makes gas storage more expensive compared to oil. Most oil companies prefer flaring gas since more expenses are incurred by further storage. Continuous vandalization of gas pipeline is another critical drawback to the emergence of more robust power development. The global gas market has changed considerably in the last couple of decades and it is currently experiencing rapid market expansion compared to other fossil fuels (Economides and Wood, 2009). Currently, natural gas is the third largest global energy source and its consumption is predicted to increase substantially in coming decades as seen in the emergence of shale gas. Investment in natural gas will continue to grow and more developed countries will explore further application of nat- ural gas in daily need. Nigeria cannot allow to take a backward seat in this campaign for better life for citizenry in view of its strategic location to other parts of the world.
As evidenced from Table 3, it is noteworthy to deduce that Nigeria is a leading gas flaring nation in the world as shown. If 42.6% of gas produced in Nigeria is flared daily, this shows a sig- nificant energy drains in Nigeria as 42.6% could impact positively on the thermal plants. According to Walker et al. (1995), pipelines represent critical infrastructure for the smooth running of the oil and gas industry and are pivotal to sustained energy supply and economic growth. The construction and operation of gas pipelines can create significant social and environmental impacts if proper monitoring is done. Severe environmental crisis can result if daily pipeline vandalism are not checked and this may affect energy growth in Nigeria. Another damaging effect of gas flaring was buttressed by Anomohanran (2012) which in his own opinion suggested the need for government to be proactive in preventing