Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim When Britain recently started aviation fuel imports from Nigeria, the decision received little international attention.

It should have.

The move was not simply a commercial transaction.

It reflected a deeper shift in the way governments are beginning to think about energy security after years of geopolitical shocks.

For decades, countries treated energy mainly as a question of price and supply.

They bought from the cheapest producers and assumed the global trading system would remain stable enough to guarantee uninterrupted flows of oil and refined products.

That assumption is collapsing.

The latest tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have again exposed how vulnerable the world economy remains to geopolitical disruption.

Nearly one-fifth of global oil supply passes through that narrow waterway.

Even the threat of instability there can raise shipping costs, disrupt fuel markets and unsettle industrial supply chains across continents.

Europe has already learned painful lessons about overdependence on fragile supply routes.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the weaknesses of global logistics systems.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrated how quickly energy dependence can become a strategic liability.

Now governments are adjusting.

Energy security is no longer only about who has oil and gas reserves.

It is increasingly about who can deliver reliably during periods of geopolitical uncertainty.

That shift matters for Nigeria.

Nigeria possesses some of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves and occupies an advantageous Atlantic position far from many of today’s geopolitical flashpoints.

As Europe and other economies diversify energy relationships and reduce exposure to unstable regions, Nigeria has an opportunity to become a more important strategic supplier.

But resources alone are not enough.

The central issue is trust.

For decades, Nigeria has struggled to convert immense natural wealth into lasting national strength.

Corruption, insecurity, policy inconsistency and weak institutions undermined investor confidence and damaged the country’s international credibility.

The result is that Nigeria is often viewed as a country with extraordinary potential but uncertain execution.

That perception now carries economic consequences.

Global markets reward predictability.

Investors want confidence that pipelines and infrastructure are secure,....