Well, its about time some of you realized the monstrosity here. This is the same kind of gas that you are building the Trans Sahara pipeline for. It has enormous value. When a company wastes a salable resource, the problem is always a political one. The political system is either holding down a price or taxing a profit (all political systems do both: Vampires! When the long-term interests of the people conflict with their short term interests, a politician must respond to the short term or not be reelected.). No company can sustain an unprofitable effort, nor will it bypass a ready profit. The flaring is a symptom of underpricing. Nigerian gas production and use should be primarily for Nigerians, rather than for export. It is insane to have it that it is profitable to export it to the EU over a $10billion pipeline, but not to Abuja and Lagos.

Economic activity is controlled with money far more effectively than with regulation. In the long-term interests of the people, the only proper price for anything is the one that maximizes the profit of the producer. Short sighted populism is the real cause of most economic problems.