Nigeria has been trying to stop routine flaring since the late 1970s. The first major shot at the challenge was made via the Associated Gas Re-Injection Act (1979), which tried to force gas reinjection and restrict flaring. The Act failed because it criminalised gas flaring without fixing the economics, infrastructure gaps, or lack of a domestic gas market. It also made compliance more expensive than non-compliance, with low penalties and routine ministerial waivers that made it near-useless.