Comments on: Oil Prices Jump Due to Conflict in Nigeria

By: Rainforest Action Network - RAN.org

Rainforest Action Network - RAN.org — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:52:42 +0000

[...] Besides all the amazing trainings their were three keynote speakers: Sowore Omeyele, a Nigerian Activist, offered a critical analysis of human rights and environmental impacts in the Niger Delta; Steve Kretzman, Executive Director of Oil Change International, discussed the chain of oil destruction and political work behind the Separation of Oil and State; and Joel Rogers co-founder of the Apollo Alliance highlighted the coalition efforts of the Apollo plan to create millions of green jobs. The combination of each of the speeches and all of the trainings shows me that there is hope among some alliances that are coming together as we work for a more ecological and socially just world. How do you think non-violent direct action can be a useful tool to make an ecological change for the health of the planet? [...]

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By: maduabuchi okoli

maduabuchi okoli — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:19:41 +0000

nile, i think i support your view. being a nigerian myself, i can attest to the fact that the violence in the niger delta stems from what i may call accute government neglect and oil companies’ connivance to destroy the land of the niger delta.
The government of nigeria only pays lip service to the issue of development, epecially in the niger delta region. Out of frusration the people are left with no other choice of survival than to vandalize oil pipelines and oil bunkering because man must survive.
In addition, the absence of legitimate jobs for the teeming youths of the niger delta coupled with the exploitation by the oil companies left the youths with little or no alternatives.
In conclusion the violence and hostage taking in the niger delta is as a result of accumulated frustrations endured by the youths, not only in the niger delta but in nigeria as a whole.
thanks

By: Nile

Nile — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 03:17:46 +0000

Russell, I agree with you on the complex issues in the Delta. Their is no simple way to look at the conditions that have historically plagued the region that is intimately connected to the history of oil corporations and their ties with corrupt government and the military. My analysis stems from the systematic devastation to the region since the 1950’s where oil was discovered which later spinned off to further impact the region economically, politically, culturally, and socially. Due to the billions of dollars extracted from the region, oil corporations have influenced government and military fractions to support their economic interests. Therefore, they have supported economic disparity and environmental impacts in the region that have grown exponentially at the expense of the local communities. What % of the billions of dollars, have gone back to the community? How many people in the region who are sick due to environmental pollution? How has corporate interest impact ethnic, cultural and social life? When you have a region where oil extraction and the lack of reinvesting in the surrounding communities, it has shown to promote forms scarity, resistance and struggle. It is in this vain, where severe political repression and environmental pollution produces nonviolent resistance movements as the world experienced the leadership of Ken Saro Wiwa and others, who was killed because of bringing attention to the environmental and human conditions to the region. We differ in analysis because I examining the systemic mechanisms of politics and economics in the region, while governments like Nigeria are supported by the pockets of oil companies and imperial forces. We differ in the historical critique in how this current situation was produced by the treatment big business in the region. Oil corporations in the Niger Delta seriously threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common. The presence of multinational oil companies has had additional adverse effects on the local economy and society, including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers. Organized protest and activism by affected communities regularly meet with military repression, sometimes ending in the loss of life. In some cases military forces have been summoned and assisted by oil companies. While you focus on governance, I will add to the history in which your analysis is quite weak in examining how corporations influence has led to the countless years of repression due to the focus of “black gold”. The current act of taking arms is intimately connected to the peaceful protests that was killed in the region. I agree that the violence towards the community and different fractions of the community responding is not just about blaming the people who are acting, but there is something about understanding the system of corporate power and greed that sometimes creates conditions where bandits in all positions of power are just killing the health of the region. What do you think?

By: Russell Hanley

Russell Hanley — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 05:39:55 +0000

As a current resident of Nigeria…no connections to any oil company…I can report that the sitution in the Delta is much more complex than you make out in your article.
There is fault on both sides, and to even state there are just two sides in this issue is a gross oversimplification.
As a professional environmental scientist it pains me to see the level of pollution and waste in the Delta, but not all of that is the oil companies doing.
Oil is regularly stolen from pipelines and other facilities, often by armed groups who claim thay are doing this for the benefit of the locals, but mostly the smuggled oil is sold and the money pocketed by the thieves. There is some evidence that the recent activities by the armed group MEND is directly related to a Nigerian military attack on barges smuggling oil.
It is also the case that oil revenues are paid directly to many tribal chiefs in the Delta as a consequence of MOUs reached with various ethnic groups there. However, a lot of this money now supports those tribal chiefs who mostly live in other countries? How so?
The major problem in the Delta is a lack of governance. Each of the Delta States has corrupt governors who compete with each other to steal as much of the revenue as possible. When the governor of Bayelsia State was recently arrested in London with a suitcase full of money his own downtrodden people sprang to his rescue? Why? some of them even went so for as to say it was ok for him to steal their oil money as he was one of their tribal leaders.
Lastly, some of the worst oil pollution is in areas where bandits breach pipelines to steal oil and then fire on anyone who attempts to repair it….is the subsequent pollution the fault of the oil company that owns the pipeline?
You know you could make a much more useful contribution to the debates on these issues if you did two things:
approach an issue with an open mind instead of a preconceived position,
Did some research, there is plenty of information on the web about these issues.

By: Nile

Nile — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 21:24:23 +0000

Mike these are excellent questions. The current unrest in Nigeria seems quite familiar to all of us who are following how the US intervene in oil rich nations. Their are many perspectives on what direction this will take. Interestingly enough, oil prices have tripled since 2001 in the region as global oil demand, led by the U.S. and China, has risen faster than supply. Also this January, China’s oil firms invested 2.3 billion dollars for a 45 percent stake in the Niger Delta. Not only are we seeing the brewing of even more chaos and violence in the region, but we also are witnessing a battle for oil between two great powers. All I can say is that we should be attentive to the media framing and see how it correlates with terms in the region like democracy, terrorism, intervention etc. which are current tropes for U.S. and military domination.