sqlplus variable

Hello all,  

I've been trying to script a backup that uses sqlplus /nolog as a variable. I create the variable as:
SQL_UTILITY='sqlplus /nolog' export SQL_UTILITY  

in my bash script but when I execute it I get:  

': not a valid identifier

I've tried a bunch of different combos but still get the same error. Which part is wrong?

If I just type this at the command line and then echo back $SQL_UTILITY, it works. What could be wrong script-wise?

ciao,
Brian  

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