Nigeria and the price of oil

01.12.08 Over quarter trillion dollars in oil has been lifted from Nigerian soils and waters in the last 40 years. But after years of military rule and rampant corruption, fueled by these oil monies, the country is mired in billions of dollars in debt and is wracked with poverty. This especially is the case, ironically, in the region where 100% of Nigeria's oil comes from — the Niger Delta region. Filled with dozens of traditional farming villages and ethnic minorities, the Delta region has almost no representation in government and yet provides 80% of Nigeria's revenues with its oil. Villages without basic services watch helplessly as billions of dollars in oil flow from their lands — and then are left to deal with the environmental and health effects of oil spills and towering gas flares. Huge amounts of natural gas emissions are ...
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