In oil rich Niger delta, the sun never sets: smokestacks still shooting out gas flares

Résumé du document

For half a century, some oil has been extracted for commercial ends in the Niger Delta. The vast reserves of hydrocarbons created several billion dollars of income for the Nigerian state, but the majority of the inhabitants of the oil production zones live in poverty. The multidimensional crisis that has been taking effect strongly in the Delta Niger, is linked to the magnitude of the pollution and the damages caused to the environment, to the breach of duty, and to the bad pratices of companies. With its 150 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populated in Africa. It is the 7th most important oil-producing country of the planet. The totality of the Nigerian oil results from the delta. Since 1970, 350 billion dollars of oil income streamed into Nigeria, nevertheless 75% of the Nigerians live with less than one dollar per day. The communities of the Niger Delta continue to live in poverty, with no schools, hospitals and elementary infrastructures.

Extraits

[...] In January four expatriates working for companies subcontractor of Shell are kidnapped. The MEND claims the kidnapping and require the liberation of two representatives Ijaw. Four expatriates are free two weeks later. The same month an attack aims at a pumping plant of Shell, there are five deaths and nine missing among soldiers, and two nigerian co workers of Shell are killed. Companies should not leave the Niger Delta for economical reasons In 2005, the Nigeria was the first oil producer of the African continent. [...]

[...] In add big companies present on the territory made important invesments in particular for the working of slicks being in deep offshoring. Between 2004 and 2009, Angola doubled its daily production of oil. Several big companies run the oil in Angola under the control of Sonangol, a public company loaded with the operation of the production of the oil and the delivery of the concessions. Chevron Texaco produces around a third of the two million daily barrels, Sinopec (Chines oil company) around 23%. [...]

[...] The economic fallout from the sector is relatively modest in this region, in particular in terms of employment. The weak need in manpower of the petroleum industry limits the opportunities of hiring while the Land Use Act of 1978 dispossessed the local authorities of their privileges and the compensations which paid them the oil companies. The economic conflict The petroleum industry in Niger Delta groups together the Nigerian State, the subsidiary of multinationals like Shell, Agip, Eni, and Total, and some Nigerian companies. [...]

[...] They have already caused the death of tens of persons, among which 3 employees exiled by Total, and contributed to decrease in more than 25% the deliveries of Nigerian oil on the international market[3]. Besides political demands, the separatist activists of the Niger Delta require the payment of 1.5 billion dollars ransom in exchange for the liberation of 9 employees in hostage. The competition for the control of the oil incomes also caused violent confrontations between ethnic militias in the service of competing politician interests. The borders are often blurred between the various groups, and their actions. [...]

[...] But Nigeria do not want leave the OPEP for fear of losing some money of foreign incomes of the country depend on the crude oil[11]. II. Comparison with others countries Angola the first exportator of oil The oil in Angola interest all the developed countries and the big developing countries, because of a relative political stability after 27 years of civil war which destabilized the region. In this context the importance of china has increased in the Angolan economic field at the same time as a deacrease of the influence of France, punished after the business Falcone and the sales of arms in Angola. [...]