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Natural gas contains valuable organic elements that are important raw materials of the petroleum and chemical industries. Before natural gas is used as fuel, heavy hydrocarbons such as butane, propane, and petrol are extracted as liquids. The remaining gas constitutes so-called dry gas, which is piped to domestic and industrial consumers for use as fuels; dry gas, devoid of butane and propane, also occurs in nature. Composed of the lighter hydrocarbons methane and ethane, dry gas is used also in the manufacture of plastics, drugs.

Estimates of Nigeria’s proven natural gas reserves, are approximately 104 trillion cubicfeet. Nigeria has the tenth largest reserves in the world, approximately 30% of African gas reserves. Much of this is associated gas, as many Nigerian oil fields are saturated, and have primary gas caps. There is presently no dedicated exploration for gas. About 75% of the associated gas is currently flared off, as no domestic gas infrastructure or market exists, while fiscal terms remain unattractive. Growing pressure from environmentalists, has now led to increasing utilisation of the associated gas, and Shell has committed to ending all flaring of associated gas from their fields by the year 2008.

Petroleum, or crude oil, naturally occurring oily, bituminous liquid composed of various organic chemicals. It is found in large quantities below the surface of the Earth and is used as a fuel and as a raw material in the chemical industry. Modern industrial societies use it primarily to achieve a degree of mobility—on land, at sea, and in the air—that was barely imaginable less than a hundred years ago. In addition, petroleum and its derivatives are used in the manufacture of medicines and fertilizers, foodstuffs, plastic ware, building materials, paints, and cloth, and to generate electricity.

In fact, modern industrial civilization depends on petroleum and its products; the physical structure and way of life of the suburban communities that surround the great cities are the result of an ample and inexpensive supply of petroleum. In addition, the goals of developing countries—to exploit their natural resources and to supply foodstuffs for the burgeoning populations—are based on the assumption of petroleum availability. Politically imposed restrictions on the oil supply drove up prices for periods during the 1970s. This prompted fears of a global scarcity of petroleum, but by the mid-1990s prices were down to half of what they had been ten years before. See Energy Supply, World.

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