Analysis Of The Niger Delta And Its Past Struggles With Military Rule Essay

In order for Chad’s economy to succeed in the future, major reforms on oil revenue transparency are necessary. As a result of social and political conflicts, Chad has historically been characterized by division and warfare. Since the discovery of oil during the 1960s, these conflicts have only been exacerbated. The oil pipeline that began construction in 1999 as a result of this discovery inadvertently fueled the tension that had been created. The revenues that were generated from the pipeline were not allocated with transparency, which caused dissent on a global scale. This project was supposed to be an example for all oil-dependent developing countries that agreement and control of revenues could help grow a country’s economy. Ultimately, the methods used to control the revenues in Chad have been inefficient, and are in need of further reforms such as improved national dialogue and access to information.

Americans have been drilling for oil for more than half of their existence. Before the 1850’s oil was of little use and had no market for commerce as there was not one overwhelming use for it. Until around the 1850’s, when technology advanced, with it sparking search for one of the most sought after natural resources that countries would later go to war over, petroleum oil. Early inventions like the kerosene lamp provided a new stable home necessity to live by, increasing the demand for crude oil. This would be met in part by Colonel Edwin Drake, who drilled the first successful oil well in 1858. While Drake’s invention for extracting crude oil from the ground would bring about a new era for industrialization, his “black gold” would bring about an even larger effect, the environmental disasters caused by man. For over one hundred and fifty years of drilling for oil, both on shore and offshore, has led to some of the worst catastrophes to both nature and mankind. While many of these catastrophes have led to the deaths of hundreds of crew members, they have also led to long lasting effects on the environment, local and national economies, legislation, regulations, and human morale. These following effects can be seen in the most recent and most contaminated marine oil spill in history. To the media and public it’s known as the British Petroleum offshore drilling oil spill in 2010.

Niger Delta region, placing the Nigerian oil output down to a third of its capacity” (Klare 3).

In this paper I will discuss Nigeria, a country that was created by European imperialism. Nigeria is located on the Atlantic Coast in West Africa and is border by Benin, Chad, and Cameroon. It is the largest country in Africa. Nigeria has three main tribes which are the Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo and other tribes as well. The official language of Nigeria is English although, the Yoruba, Ibo, and Hausa tribes represent the principal native language. Dance and music are a focal point in the Nigerian livelihood. The traditional Nigerian uses dance at births and deaths, on happy and sad occasions, and in worship. Nigerian music consists of many instruments. They are the trumpets, brass, vocals, percussion frame drums, kettle drums, double bass, flutes, and the electric guitar. Drums are considered very important to the Nigerian music and dances. In the Nigerian culture, art serves as a social or religious purpose. Nigeria is a celebratory country. Many holidays and festivities are observed by the Nigerian community to preserve their cultural heritage. Two of the most common are the National Day and The New Yam Festival. Traditional Nigerians have

Nigeria has not flourished the ability to manufacture direct products in its own country. Instead, imports, 85% of its national demands and is a customer to many developed countries who gain greater profit from Nigeria's inability. Western countries like France forged deep ties with governments rich in major oil, gas and mining companies, strategically allowing themselves to secure exploration and production rights in exchange for royalty payment (Frank Vogl, 2012). These strategies have always resulted in a greater profit for

During the late 1800s, Europe was caught in the fever of imperialism. Between 1884 and 1885, many countries in Europe met at the Berlin Conference to decide which country would conquer which region in Africa. During this Partition of Africa, the European heads of states divided up the continent with no regards to the tribal lands and boundaries. The British claimed the region where the Igbo people were, known today as Nigeria, as their new “sphere of influence”. In 1901, the British began to take control of the region after the missionaries had been gaining converts. By 1914, the region was officially titled the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria (The Colonial Era (1882-1960)). The British had authority over the Igbo people and the other cultural groups in the region. The Europeans’ influence through the Christian missionaries and the

“If we do nothing, it doesn 't matter how we feel. And that’s exactly what oil companies are banking on: out of sight, out of mind” (Hart, 24). Petroleum is a naturally occurring oil found under deep layers of rock (“oil drilling”). Oil drilling is when a pipe penetrates through these several layers of rock in order to reach the petroleum oil underneath. This oil can then be purified or turned into gasoline for energy use. Offshore oil drilling, like its’ name describes, is specifically oil drilling on the ocean floor, away from a shore line. Offshore oil drilling provides one of the most consumed American energy resources, but also provides a risk to the environment (Crawford et al. 2&7). The United State’s

In 1994, Equatorial Guinea was one of the most impoverished countries in Africa. During that time, the country had an incredibly low life expectancy of just 46 years, and the inhabitants were forced to survive on only $1 a day. Then, in 1995, they discovered a natural resource that would have the potential to change their economic well-being and quality of life forever. In this year, Equatorial Guinea discovered an immense amount of oil right off the coast of the country. Just nine years after this finding, all major US oil companies, notably Exxon-Mobile, Marathon Oil, and Amerada Hess, were drilling for oil in this once poverty-stricken country. After this notable discovery, Equatorial Guinea was generating $4 billion in revenue per year solely from the oil drilling industry. However, the inexperienced leaders that governed the country entered into a contract where they agreed to give 80%

Since the Industrial Revolution in the United States and around the world, crude oil has been a hot commodity – and unfortunately, a commodity that is non-renewable. An aspect of globalization has been the increase in the oil industry; with so many buyers for oil – gasoline companies for vehicles and machinery, especially – countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and other countries have become economic stars in the global economy. Up until recently, Africa had had few major producers of this precious liquid, until the twentieth century, specifically in Nigeria. In the small delta region of Nigeria exist over 40 ethnic groups with 250 distinct dialects, specific traditional religious and cultural practices, and, being first contacted by the Portuguese in the late 1400’s, a long history of western contact (Lagassé 2000). The modern, overarching name for these groups is “Ijaw”, transmuted and then anglicized from “Izon”(also called “Ijon”, “Ijo”, or “Ujo”), meaning “truth” in their language (Ijaw Dictionary Project). They have existed harmoniously and prosperously in the delta region of Nigeria, practicing a vivacious lifestyle for centuries. However, since the 1950’s, when a wealth of natural oil was discovered in that region, these groups have been battling to preserve their health, culture, and peace in the face of a brutal globalization campaign led by oil companies and banking enterprises alike.

This day and age, oil is what makes the world go around. Without it, people cannot travel, be able to use fuel oils for electricity and heating, there would not be asphalt roads, and also there would not be chemicals used to make plastics, or other synthetic materials that humans use every day. Oil is a useful resource but the ways that are used to obtain it are not very appealing. One way it is obtained is by offshore drilling. According to an article on WiseGeek.com, “What is Offshore Oil Drilling?” offshore drilling “is an oil extraction technique which allows oil companies to access deposits of oil buried under the ocean floor.” Underneath all that, there are problems, the environment is being hurt. Offshore oil drilling may be useful; but the effects of it are bad for life on earth.

Facts: Plaintiffs are residents of Nigeria, who claim that Dutch, British, and Nigerian corporations engaged in aggressive oil exploration and production, aided and abetted the Nigerian government in committing violations of the law of nations related to crimes against humanity and human rights abuses. Royal Dutch and Shell are parent companies incorporated in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom respectively; Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is incorporated in Nigeria. Since 1958, SPCD has conducted oil exploration and production in the Ogoni region of Nigeria. Protesting SPDC’s activities in the region, Ogoni

Most children in the Niger delta have little or no education, due to lack of funds from their parents who have lost their lands and have no jobs because of limited opportunities. The Niger delta government and the oil companies have refused to look into the situation; instead they favor their close relations neglecting the masses. Corruption in the Niger delta has led some youths in taking drastic measure in order to put food on their table. For example, Ikechukwu Efe an indigene of the Niger delta said that some of his friends created their own “oil refinery”, which is made up of crude oil in metal barrels with controlled heat from fire woods. This is a dangerous process in refining crude oil but the degree of poverty in the state left his friends with no choice. If only the government of the Niger delta have created jobs with the wealth of the state Ikechukwu’s friend would not have to put their lives in danger. Until corruption is put to an abrupt the people of the Niger delta will continue to live in poverty.

Niger Delta is one of the top ten largest deltas in the world, to the south of this delta is the Atlantic Ocean and to the north is the famous River Niger. The Niger Delta region in Nigeria is blessed with the natural resource of crude oil. Crude oil was discovered in this region since 1958, this made the Nigerian government to divert their attention from agriculture to oil production due to the excessive wealth they made from this new sector. At that time, many indigenes of the region called the discovery of crude oil in the Niger Delta ‘Black gold’, but with the passage of time, many of them have been proven wrong. This is because the discovery of crude oil has brought more damages to them than benefits. The country Nigeria, is currently ranked as one of the largest crude oil producers in the world. Which makes her inevitable prone to oil spillage and huge investment proposals/projects from large oil TNC’s (Shell, Exon Mobile, and Addax petroleum). Oil spillage due to the exploration and exploitation is the major cause of environmental degradation and pollution in the Niger Delta. However, this does not reduce the importance of other environmental issues like the indiscriminate waste disposal.

There are very many environmental problems in the oil and gas-producing areas of Nigeria. However, not all the problems can be attributed to oil and gas operations. The most critical problems that derive primarily from oil and gas operations there, are oil spills, including groundwater pollution, surface water pollution and damage to aquatic and shallow marine life; acid rain and air quality degradation due to gas flaring; and biodiversity loss.

In 2003, construction ended on a pipeline project more commonly referred to as the CCPP (Chad Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project). The main actors in this project - besides the World Bank - consisted of a triumvirate of oil companies with Exxon-Mobil at the helm, along with Petronas Malaysia & ChevronTexaco. The project was under many watchful eyes in the global political theater as it hoped to prove as a model for other developing countries. It also sought to break the spell of the “resource curse” which “it is generally known, is that countries rich in natural resources, specially oil, tend to suffer from lower living standards, slower growth rates and higher incidence of conflict than their resource-poor counterparts.” (Auty, 1997)